Redmi A4 5G, one of India’s cheapest 5G phones, will not support Airtel 5G in India: here’s why | Tech Tips
Redmi A4 5G launched in India recently as one of the affordable offerings with the latest network connectivity. The Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 chipset made its global debut with the phone. However, there seems to be one drawback with the phone. It is only compatible with Jio 5G in India and not Airtel 5G. Check out the complete details to know why.
Redmi A4 5G doesn’t support 5G NSA
- Redmi A4 5G’s product page (in a small text under the chipset) mentions the device only supports SA (standalone) 5G networks and 5G NSA (non-standalone) is not supported.
- Airtel’s 5G network in India uses NSA (Non-Standalone) architecture, while Jio is based on SA architecture. This makes the Redmi A4 5G incompatible with Airtel 5G.
- For understanding, in Standalone (SA) 5G, dedicated network bands are used to deploy 5G and use newer radio technologies that are exclusively used for 5G.
- On the other hand, Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G uses the existing infrastructure of 4G LTE, hence it is a low-cost 5G network. Some frequency bands are shared by NSA 5G and 4G. This is said to be easier to deploy considering they use older radio systems.
- SA 5G is reportedly better than NSA 5G but there will not be any differences in experience from the user point of view. Both technologies are said to be capable of offering up to 1Gbps speeds.
- For what it’s worth, Airtel announced plans to deploy SA 5G network in India. It is currently testing it in parts of Bhubaneshwar, Rewari, Chennai and other places.
- Airtel will eventually push out SA 5G across India but it might take some time and there’s no exact timeline for it. So if you are planning on buying the Redmi A4 5G, Jio is your best pick for the latest network.
Redm A4 5G price in India is Rs 8,499 for the base 4GB/64GB model and Rs 9,499 for the 4GB/128GB variant. The handset will be on sale in the country from November 27th via Amazon, Mi.com, and stores.
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