iPhone 12 range apparently doesn’t support 5G with dual SIM, but might soon

iPhone 12 Pro
iPhone 12 Pro (Image credit: Apple)

The iPhone 12 and its siblings are the first Apple phones with 5G support, but if you plan to make use of their dual SIM mode then you’ll seemingly still be stuck with 4G – at least for now.

Reddit user ctthrow1 claimed to have discovered an Apple training document intended for retailers and carriers, which – as you can see in the screenshot below – states that when using dual SIM mode (which allows you to have two different phone numbers on one handset) both lines will top out at 4G.

While we’d take this with a pinch of salt, MacRumors claims to have verified the document, so there’s a high chance that it’s accurate.

iPhone 12 leaked doc

(Image credit: Apple / ctthrow1)

However, for dual SIM mode users looking for iPhone 12 deals the news isn’t as bad as it might sound, as MacRumors also claims to have obtained an internal Verizon slide which states that 5G support will be added to dual SIM mode via a software update later this year.

The site doesn’t say exactly when this update is coming, but with only just over two months left in 2020 at the time of writing, it doesn’t sound like dual SIM mode will lack 5G for long.

With 5G coverage still being very patchy in most parts of the world, and speeds being very variable, the majority of buyers probably wouldn’t initially get a ton out of it anyway – so waiting another month or two shouldn’t be too much of a problem. But if you need 5G now, it sounds like you’ll have to stick with one SIM card.

Via GSMArena

James Rogerson

James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.