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Though the switch has technically not been flipped by T-Mobile’s just yet, there is a 5G speed boost on the way for Pixel 6 owners that utilize the T-Mobile wireless network. Thanks to a bit of sleuthing by an Android Police reader, it is clear that there is a software update on the way that will increase the overall 5G performance of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro on T-Mobile’s network. And it looks to be happening soon.
Because of Carrier Aggregation
Pointing to a modem log from the Pixel 6 (as can be seen here), the AP reader shows that the Pixel 6’s Exynos 5123b modem is capable of leveraging uploads and downloads via multiple sources on different bands of T-Mobile’s 5G spectrum. In general practice, this is called carrier aggregation, and it will be in play on other phones with Qualcomm’s 5G X60 modem (since that modem already possesses this ability) when T-Mobile fully rolls this out. Devices like the Samsung Galaxy S21 (which oddly enough uses Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC and a Qualcomm modem instead of Samsung’s own hardware) already have this sort of aggregation ability and will be able to utilize it for better upload/download speeds as soon as T-Mobile makes it available.
Looking at an older version of modem log and comparing it to the latest log, you can see a new carrier aggregation combo listed for T-Mobile’s band n71 and n41 – alternatively known as T-Mobile’s 600MHz and 2.5GHz bands – meaning there is an update on the way to the Pixel 6 that will flip the switch for this software-enabled feature.
According to Android Police’s report, this update could come as early as January (Reddit), but with things like this it is best to employ a bit of patience. After all, those of us on T-Mobile with a Pixel 6 are still waiting on that December update we’ve been promised.
Either way, when the update comes, the aggregation of multiple bands able to be accessed simultaneously by 5G smartphones like the Pixel 6 will only make the experience on T-Mobile’s network that much better. 5G is a complex thing, but we’re finally starting to see many of the benefits of it over LTE, and as a T-Mo customer myself, I’m pretty excited for what this could look like early next year.
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