Network compatibility for my new phone

[gexo173]

Hi,

I recently bought a new phone and wanted to know if the network connectivity will be good on it or not.

It is a Xiaomi 14, more specifically the chinese variant. It operates on the following 4G frequency bands: 

B1 (2100), B3 (1800), B4 (1700/2100 AWS 1), B5 (850), B7 (2600), B8 (900), B18 (800), B19 (800), B26 (850), B28a (700), B34 (TDD 2100), B38 (TDD 2600), B39 (TDD 1900), B40 (TDD 2300), B41 (TDD 2500), B42 (TDD 3500), B48 (TDD 3600), B66 (1700/2100)

5G bands:

n1 (2100), n3 (1800), n5 (850), n8 (900), n28a (700), n38 (2600), n40 (2300), n41 (2500), n48 (3500), n66 (1700), n77 (3700), n78 (3500)

Will 4G and/or 5G coverage be spotty on this phone?

[Phil_Adelphus · Accepted solution]

@gexo173   In what cases would 5G not be available

The Telus coverage map has me in a 5G area but in the house I get LTE so it doesn't seem to be strong enough to penetrate the walls (rural).  I can sometimes get 5G out in the yard.  When I'm out and about my phone switches between LTE and 5G (it's on 5G auto) depending where I am.  But even on LTE the speed is plenty fast enough.

There are some phones that are 5G capable but don't get 5G on Public Mobile.  I don't know what the situation would be with the Xiaomi.

One other note about US roaming, PMs partners in the States are AT&T and T-Mobile.  People  have noted that 5G doesn't necessarily work for PM roaming on AT&T so it is advised to use LTE.  According to AT&T's website Xiaomi phones are not compatible with AT&T for VoLTE and maybe not actually compatible with AT&T at all - something you might want to look into if you may visit the US.  Unlike the US, Canada still has 3G so not having VoLTE isn't a problem here as long as the phone can work on the 3G networks.  When roaming in the US with a non-VoLTE phone people can currently drop to T-Mobile's 2G network where available but that network is projected to shut down in just a few weeks' time.

[Dunkman]

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@gexo173 wrote:

Thank you for your swift reply. 5G is fully compatible. As for 3G, the 14 supports B5 but not B2. Could that be an issue with calls?

I currently reside in Quebec City but I've never used 5G before. In what cases would 5G not be available? Outside city centers? Would the Telus coverage map be accurate in this case?

Kind regards

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@gexo173 

Depending on your location, then yes, your talk quality may not be great. 

If 5G is not available, then your phone will access LTE or even 3G network.  5G network has higher capped data speeds (at 250 Mbps), while LTE network is capped at 100 Mbps.  So, even if you on the LTE network, you should have higher capped data speeds with your 5G plan. 

[Dunkman]

@gexo173 

As mentioned, this phone will work, but may not be VoLTE compatible with Public mobile  For US roaming, by not having a VoLTE compatbile phone, you may have more issues with talk while traveling in the USA. 

https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/ab/get-help/articles/volte

[gexo173]

Thank you for your swift reply. 5G is fully compatible. As for 3G, the 14 supports B5 but not B2. Could that be an issue with calls?

I currently reside in Quebec City but I've never used 5G before. In what cases would 5G not be available? Outside city centers? Would the Telus coverage map be accurate in this case?

Kind regards

[softech]

@gexo173 it looks good.  But keep in mind, your phone is bit VOLTE compatible on PM network,not in its whitelist, make sure you have the compatible PM 3G bands for voice

here are the compatible bands PM uses

5G: NSA: n66, n78,