Will your 5G Phone Support Jio 5G Standalone (SA) Network?
Jio gave us an insight into its 5G services on August 29 at the 45th Reliance AGM. A part of the announcement was the type of 5G Jio will be using to provide its 5G services in India. Unexpectedly, Jio revealed that it plans to bring SA or Standalone 5G to India. Jio calls this “Jio True 5G.” This contrasts with what Airtel 5G might use— NSA or Non-standalone 5G, which works on the existing 4G infrastructure.
SA 5G is more expensive and faster when compared to NSA 5G. SA 5G results in better data speed and voice calls. It offers a significantly higher speed than NSA 5G. Nevertheless, a smartphone should support SA 5G bands to be able to use 5G services. So if you have a 5G smartphone and you’re wondering if your phone can take full advantage of the SA 5G services of Jio, read this article till the end.
Does your Smartphone Support Jio 5G SA Network?
Smartphone manufacturers have been launching 5G or so-called 5G phones since as early as 2020. However, many of these 5G smartphones had just one or two 5G bands. This defies the purpose of having a proper 5G phone since you cannot enjoy 5G to its fullest with minimum bands. If you have a 5G phone, it is crucial to know which 5G bands it supports.
Jio has bought the following 5G bands for India— n3, n5, n28, n77, and n78. 5G chip and smartphone manufacturers claim that NSA and SA 5G bands are just a software-driven difference. “It’s a software-driven difference…If an operator launches SA-based 5G, then the device will remain the same, but it will require a software update,” said Rajen Vagadia, president of Qualcomm India & SAARC. Everything comes down to the number of 5G bands your smartphone supports.
Following is a list of popular 5G smartphones from different brands that will support SA 5G.
Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO
Xiaomi has stated they will bring SA 5G support to most of their 5G smartphones with “timely updates.” This includes the Xiaomi 11 and 12 series 5G phones, Redmi Note series 5G phones, and POCO X and M series 5G phones. Phones which do not mention the support for SA 5G on the product page should receive it via an OTA update. So if you have a 5G phone from Xiaomi, Redmi, or POCO, you should be least worried about SA Network support.
Realme
Realme has also been launching a good number of 5G devices over the last couple of years. A wide range of realme phones, including the realme 9 5G, 9i 5G, 9 SE 5G, 9 Pro 5G, 9 Pro+ 5G, Narzo 5G series, GT series, and more, have support for both NSA and SA Network. However, the information is unknown for some older 5G devices, such as the realme X7 5G. So if you have a realme 5G phone, you will most likely enjoy Jio’s SA 5G services when it’s launched.
OnePlus
Older OnePlus phones like the OnePlus 8 and 9 series, OnePlus Nord 5G, and the OnePlus Nord CE 5G had just one or two 5G bands, which received a lot of criticism. It is still unclear whether these smartphones with the n78 band support Jio’s SA 5G. However, the product pages of the OnePlus 8, 8 Pro, 9, and 9 Pro mention support for both SA and NSA 5G.
As for other OnePlus devices with multiple 5G bands, they will indeed support Jio’s SA 5G. These devices include OnePlus Nord 2 5G, OnePlus Nord 2T 5G, OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G, OnePlus CE 2 Lite 5G, OnePlus 10 Pro, OnePlus 10R and OnePlus 10T.
Apple
The product page of any iPhone does not mention anything about NSA or SA 5G. Although Apple has not said the type of 5G bands their devices will support, we can expect them all to support Jio’s SA 5G as it can be provided with an OTA update. If you own an iPhone 12 or later (including the iPhone SE 3), you should be good to go.
OPPO
Some of OPPO’s budget 5G smartphones support both NSA and SA 5G, such as the OPPO A53s 5G. However, the OPPO K10 5G product pages and the OPPO A74 5G do not mention the support for NSA and SA 5G. The same goes for the OPPO Reno 7 and 8 series, except for the OPPO Reno 7 5G. The OPPO F19 Pro+ supports only two bands (n78, n41) in SA 5G mode.
Vivo
Vivo’s newer 5G smartphones, such as the Vivo V25 series, Vivo X80 series and the Vivo T1 Pro, explicitly mention support for both NSA and SA 5G on their product page. Many older 5G smartphones, including the Vivo Y72, share the same support. Vivo promises that most of their 5G smartphones will get the SA 5G support via an OTA update.
iQOO
The status of SA 5G support on all iQOO devices is pretty straightforward. iQOO does not specify NSA/SA 5G bands on any of its smartphone’s product pages. This includes the iQOO 9 series, the iQOO Neo 6, the iQOO Z6 Pro 5G, and more. However, we may see SA 5G support via OTA update in the future.
Motorola
Motorola is leading in supporting 5G bands, including SA 5G. From budget and mid-range phones like the Moto G51 5G and the G62 5G to flagship phones like the Moto Edge 30 Pro, almost all Motorola 5G smartphones support a ton of 5G bands in both NSA and SA modes.
Samsung
Like Motorola, Samsung also supports a ton of 5G bands in almost all of its smartphones, be it the budget Galaxy M13 5G or the flagship Galaxy S22 Ultra. However, Samsung does not mention NSA or SA 5G smartphone support. Nevertheless, we can expect Samsung’s 5G phones will receive SA 5G support via an OTA update.
Nothing
Nothing has released only one smartphone so far— the Nothing Phone 1. The product page mentions “Gigabit 5G dual Mode (NSA & SA),” which means the Jio’s SA 5G will work flawlessly with the Nothing Phone 1.
Final Words
We tried to cover almost all of the 5G smartphones in India. However, some of you may not find your smartphone SA 5G status in this post since we cannot list every 5G smartphone that will support Jio’s SA 5G. You can read this article to check the 5G bands supported by your phone.
