I've been having a frustrating experience with my 4G LTE service ever since 5G became available. I used to have a Samsung Galaxy 18, and the connection was fantastic - everything loaded quickly, I could watch HD videos without a hitch, and overall, it was a solid experience. But after upgrading to 5G, my connection has suffered immensely. Even with 3 bars of 4G LTE, it feels like I'm without service, and full bars still don't load anything. This has been particularly annoying when I attend events with limited Wi-Fi access. Can anyone explain why my 4G LTE seems to be performing so poorly now? I have a basic understanding of tech, so I'd appreciate an explanation in simple terms. Thanks!
3 Answers
The issue might stem from the fact that not all cellular bands work the same. Carriers are reallocating their spectrum to support 5G, which is making 4G tend to slow down as more people jump on the 5G bandwagon. Plus, if there's congestion in your area, like too many users trying to access the same tower, you'll notice a decline in your service quality regardless of the signal bars you're seeing.
4G LTE always had its issues, to be honest. When I switched to a 5G phone, my connection problems vanished. But it’s odd how the bars on your Samsung might be misleading. Carriers sometimes tweak signal indicators, so what you see might not truly reflect the actual connection quality. It can feel like you have a decent signal when in reality, it might not be strong enough.
It sounds like your 4G LTE is being affected by how carriers are reallocating their network resources for 5G. They're focused on 5G because it allows for more users and better performance, which means less bandwidth is available for 4G LTE users like you. Basically, your 4G experience is taking a hit as they make more room for 5G traffic.
So it's like they're turning all the lanes on the freeway into express lanes for 5G, leaving those of us on 4G stuck in traffic?