Visible finally supports 5G for Android smartphones, but there’s a catch

Source: Samuel Contreras / Android Central

Visible is the low-cost, pre-paid MVNO carrier that utilizes Verizon’s network in order to serve its subscribers. The benefit is that Visible is able to offer customers a single, low-cost service plan for just $40 a month, not even taking promotions or discounts into account, making it one of the best prepaid plans around. Visible previously only had access to Verizon’s LTE network, stating that it would offer 5G at some point in the future. As noted by 9to5Google the iPhone 12 previously supported the network, and now and Visible subscribers using Android now get access to one of the best 5G networks at no extra cost.

We believe that people deserve an incredible experience, which is why we’re including 5G, with speeds up to 200 Mbps, to our core plan without adding a single cent to your monthly cost. That’s right, no hidden fees, no forcing you to upgrade to a different, secretly-more-expensive plan. And with unlimited data already included, once you’re connected to 5G**, you’ll experience the power of Verizon’s 5G Networks without having to worry about hitting restrictive data limits.

Along with the Apple iPhone 12, the only Android phones to support 5G on Visible’s network are the Samsung Galaxy S20 smartphones. Visible says that while it offers other 5G smartphones like the Google Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5, those don’t yet support the 5G network. It’s a little odd, considering these smartphones actually do support Verizon’s 5G network, but a look on Google’s support page lists 5G support “coming soon” for Visible’s network. Visible also states that smartphone manufacturers have to enable certain settings for their devices to work on their network, so the 5G network compatibility must follow the same rules.

Additionally, if you want to use 5G, you’ll be limited to speeds of just 200Mbps, which is a far cry from the fastest speeds available on Verizon’s 5G network, but also a big improvement from the 5Mbps cap that was placed on its LTE customers.

While Visible’s list of compatible phones isn’t vast by any means, hopefully, the addition of 5G will push the company to support or launch more devices relatively soon, including the new Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphones.