5G Standalone on iPhone: Why You’ll Notice Faster Speeds and Better Battery (2025 Update)

Your iPhone is about to get significantly faster and more efficient—but only if your carrier has deployed 5G Standalone in your area. Here’s exactly what’s happening, how to check if you have it, and what to expect.

What is 5G Standalone (SA)?

5G Standalone is a new network architecture where 5G operates independently without relying on 4G LTE infrastructure. Unlike current ‘5G Non-Standalone’ (NSA) deployments that piggyback on LTE backbones, SA creates a dedicated 5G ecosystem from your device to the tower to the data center. This architectural shift represents the true realization of 5G potential that carriers globally are rolling out in 2025.

The key technical difference: SA operates on a completely independent 5G core network, while NSA still routes data through existing 4G infrastructure. For you, this means less network congestion, faster data delivery, and more stable performance. [Current as of: iOS 17/18 - December 2024]

Why Use 5G Standalone?

• Significantly faster speeds: US median 5G SA download speeds are now 388 Mbps (up from 305 Mbps in 2023), with typical speeds ranging 200-500+ Mbps and peaks exceeding 1 Gbps on networks like T-Mobile. That’s roughly 45% faster than NSA networks and 2-4x faster than 4G LTE.

• Lower latency for real-time apps: 5G SA’s dedicated core network reduces latency variability. While 5G SA’s theoretical latency is around 1 millisecond, real-world end-to-end latency typically ranges 4-10ms depending on network load—significantly faster than NSA which relies on 4G core infrastructure (Source: 3GPP standards, TechTarget).

• More consistent, stable connections: Because SA doesn’t share infrastructure with 4G traffic, you experience fewer speed drops and more predictable performance, especially during peak hours.

• Future-proofed for advanced features: SA is required for advanced applications like vehicle-to-vehicle communication, augmented reality, and industrial IoT—technologies rolling out over the next 2-3 years.

Things to Consider

• Your iPhone supports it—your carrier’s rollout doesn’t (yet): All iPhones from iPhone 13 onwards have full hardware support for 5G Standalone. The limiting factor is carrier deployment, not your device. T-Mobile launched SA nationwide in 2020 and continues expanding. AT&T achieved nationwide deployment in October 2025 covering 200+ million people. Verizon completed nationwide deployment in June 2025. If you’re outside the US, SA availability varies significantly by country and carrier.

• Battery improvements aren’t guaranteed yet: While 5G SA is theoretically more efficient than NSA due to features like RRC Inactive state reducing signaling overhead, independent testing data confirming significant battery life improvements is still limited in 2025 (Source: Ookla Speedtest Intelligence). Your actual battery life improvement depends on your iPhone model (latest A18 Pro and Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 devices are more efficient) and how much you use the network.

• You can’t see SA vs NSA in your status bar: iPhone’s Control Center doesn’t display a specific indicator distinguishing SA from NSA. Carriers use their own branding: AT&T shows ‘5G+’, Verizon shows ‘5G UWB’, others show standard ‘5G’—but these icons don’t reliably indicate whether you’re on SA or NSA. You’ll know SA is active when your speeds noticeably increase.

How to Enable 5G SA on Your iPhone - Step by Step

Step 1: Enable Automatic Network Selection

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone
2. Tap Cellular (or Mobile Data on some iOS versions)
3. Tap your active SIM or plan line name
4. Tap Network Selection
5. Toggle the switch next to Automatic to enable (if it’s not already on)

When set to Automatic, your iPhone will connect to 5G SA whenever your carrier offers it in your area. This setting is enabled by default on most iPhones but is worth verifying.

Step 2: Verify Your Carrier Supports 5G SA in Your Area

1. Visit your carrier’s 5G coverage map:

   • T-Mobile: tmobile.com/coverage
   • AT&T: att.com/network/coverage-viewer
   • Verizon: verizon.com/network/coverage-map
   • International: Check your specific carrier’s website

2. Enter your zip code or address

3. Look for ‘5G SA’ or ‘5G Standalone’ coverage (some carriers label it differently—check their legend)

4. If your area shows SA coverage, skip to Step 3. If not, your carrier likely hasn’t deployed it yet in your location.

Step 3: Run a Speed Test to Confirm

1. Download the Speedtest app (by Ookla) from the App Store or use any speed test app
2. Connect to mobile data (not Wi-Fi)
3. Tap GO to run the test
4. Check your results:
   • 5G SA typical range: 200-500+ Mbps download (can exceed 1 Gbps on premium networks)
   • 5G NSA typical range: 100-300 Mbps download
   • 4G LTE typical range: 30-100 Mbps download

If you’re seeing speeds consistently above 300 Mbps and your carrier has SA coverage in your area, you’re likely on 5G SA. Speeds below 150 Mbps suggest NSA or 4G LTE.

Step 4: Update Carrier Settings (If Needed)

Occasionally, your carrier’s network settings need updating before SA is accessible. This happens automatically, but you can force an update:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap General
3. Tap About
4. If a carrier settings update is available, a prompt will appear—tap Update
5. Wait 1-2 minutes for the update to complete
6. Restart your iPhone

This is rarely necessary on recent iOS versions (17+), but it ensures your SIM and iPhone are configured correctly for SA.

What to Do Now

If your carrier has 5G SA coverage in your area: Ensure Automatic Network Selection is enabled (Step 1 above), then run a speed test in a few days to confirm you’re experiencing the faster speeds. Most users notice improved app loading, faster video streaming, and smoother video calls immediately.

If your carrier hasn’t deployed 5G SA yet: Your iPhone is ready whenever your carrier deploys it. Check your carrier’s website quarterly for coverage updates. T-Mobile has the most extensive SA coverage. AT&T and Verizon are rapidly completing their nationwide rollouts (both substantially complete as of mid-2025). International carriers vary significantly—EE in the UK covers 70%+ of the population as of August 2025, while coverage in Europe and Asia-Pacific remains inconsistent.

Regional note: If you’re in France, China, or other regions where carriers haven’t yet enabled SA settings, you won’t see SA even with compatible iPhones, as carrier configuration—not device hardware—is the limiting factor.

For speed optimization: MobileNetworkMode: Continue using Speedtest or similar apps monthly to track your actual speeds. If speeds drop significantly, restart your iPhone or toggle Airplane Mode on/off to reconnect to the network.

Key Takeaways

5G SA is a carrier infrastructure upgrade happening right now—not a feature you download or wait for. Your iPhone 13 and later already support it; activation depends entirely on your carrier’s rollout. As of December 2024, all three major US carriers (T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon) have operational 5G SA networks nationwide or nearly nationwide. Expect noticeably faster speeds (typically 200-500+ Mbps) and more stable connections once SA reaches your area—this is the ’true 5G’ promised years ago, finally arriving in 2025.

Sources referenced: Apple Support, Ookla Speedtest Intelligence (Q4 2024), 3GPP standards, Light Reading, AT&T and Verizon newsrooms, ISPreview UK, TechTarget, and Corning.

5G Standalone is now live across the US and rolling out globally. Check your carrier’s coverage map, enable Automatic Network Selection, and you’re ready to experience dramatically faster, more reliable mobile connectivity. The upgrade is happening behind the scenes—your job is simply to verify your phone is configured to use it.