4G vs 5G on your MTN WiFi device: what actually changes

MTN’s 5G footprint keeps growing, and more MiFi and home routers are shipping with 5G modems. A few notes on what that does and doesn’t mean for day-to-day use.

Speed. 5G’s ceiling is much higher, but the real-world gain depends entirely on how close you are to a 5G mast and how loaded it is. On a good day it’s a large jump. On a bad day, 4G on an uncongested tower can be faster.

Data. Your plan’s data allowance doesn’t change based on network type. A gigabyte on 5G is the same gigabyte on 4G. It just moves faster.

Battery and heat. 5G radios draw more power. If your device runs warmer or drains faster since a firmware update, checking whether it locked to 5G is worth doing before assuming something’s wrong.

In Mi MDev, network type shows on the device card. Tap it to force 4G if you’d rather trade speed for battery life.