iPhone 8 and X Aren’t Compatible with T-Mobile’s New LTE Band

Earlier this year, T-Mobile made headlines with its multi billion-dollar investment in licensing the FCC’s freshly-minted 600 MHz LTE wireless spectrum in a move that could theoretically make the nation’s fastest wireless network (on multiple accounts) a whole lot faster.

Currently, the ‘Un-carrier’ is in the preliminary stages of rolling out its super-charged 600 MHz LTE network, with the first sites up and running in Wyoming already, according to BGR. The company anticipates expanding that coverage by “over a million square miles by the end of 2017,” according to the report, which will enable T-mobile devices with LTE Band 71 compatibility to take advantage of the blazingly-fast download and upload speeds, better building penetration, and more.

It sounds like America’s highest-rated wireless network is about to get amplified all the more, right? Unfortunately, there’s just one issue: T-Mobile’s version of the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and special edition iPhone X won’t be getting the best of it. Evidently, those flagship devices will be joining the likes of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 phablet as T-Mobile’s most recent devices that will be incompatible with its increasingly powerful wireless network.

Of course, there’s little doubt in our minds that T-Mobile desperately wanted Apple’s iPhone X and iPhone 8 devices to be compatible with Band 71; unfortunately, however, it appears that the timing of the carrier’s acquisition and expansion, in relation to the iPhone’s production schedule, was temporally prohibitive of making it work. And so, to put this in the kindest, most non-threatening way possible: T-Mobile customers looking to upgrade to an iPhone 8 or iPhone X will be “upgrading” to an LTE experience not on par with the network’s near-future capabilities.

To be fair, we know for a fact that T-Mobile’s network shines in most areas via its existing LTE coverage; however, as we head into 2018 and beyond, and as wireless carriers ramp up their efforts to offer customers the fastest, most powerful devices their network can support, the news certainly won’t bode well with T-Mobile customers or investors.

Yes, the iPhone X and iPhone 8 will still be the same, powerful devices, and will still be compatible with T-Mo’s existing network but it’s likely not going to be until next year, at the earliest, that we’ll see an iPhone launch with compatibility for T-Mobile’s Band 71.

In the interim, for all you ‘Un-carrier’ customers longing for the latest and greatest device that CAN take advantage of T-Mo’s ever-expanding 600 MHz LTE network, there’s always the brand-new LG V30 to satisfy your need for speed.