Cell phone "G" networks

[Takket]

When you talk about 4G 5G etc, does the phone matter? Like, if I have an iPhone 6 from many years ago will it work in a 5G network or does 5G only work on a newer phone?

[hlthe2b]

1. Good grief... Iphone 6 is still a current phone--currently being sold...

(sorry, but I have a pet peeve with the ridiculous short lifespan of our technology)

But in answer to your questions:
Only the largest US cities are likely to see 5G in 2020 or more to the point before 2022, so by then, you'll surely be upgrading.

But the answer to your question is that NONE of current iphones are 5G capable. You'll have to upgrade then.

[BBG]

2. G Generation

And some generations do not play well with other generations. Backward compatibility of a network to support older devices is limited and in some cases nonexistent.
Your iPhone 6 may be LTE “4G” capable and may be usable on a 5G network but will not be capable of all 5G features/functionality. The more advanced 5G functionalities will require a real 5G device of which there are very few in production today.
5G is the bleeding edge of telecommunications and will be playing (deploying) out over the next decade.

[democratisphere]

3. 5G wide band only works on a compatible 4G/5G phone.

There is currently very limited 5G service in the US and it is available for a $10.00/month premium where available.

[Ron Obvious]

4. My 10 year old GSM (which is what, 2G?) phone still works fine.

And I won't upgrade until support for GSM is switched off, which will probably be a while off since it's still used by a lot of embedded devices like alarm systems.

[Archae]

5. It's a sales gimmick.

"Get the latest thing! Keep up with the Joneses!"

More bells and whistles to add to a cell phone, to distract people using them.

"More games! More music! More movies! More TV shows!"