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My 5G road trip tests included rigorous testing on three Google Pixel phones.
Signal reliability generally proved good to decent across three major interstate carriers.
Network architecture, including non-standalone 5G, emerged as a factor in deployment.
5G made a number of promises when it debuted. The first was the ability to handle excessive capacity. I tested that promise outside a baseball playoff game this past October, and I found it to be partially true. The other promise was better coverage coast to coast. Now, it was time to head out and give that a try. How 5G could improve coverage outside of city centers.
Also: The 5 most innovative tech products we tested this year (including a tri-fold surprise)
To do this, I took those same Google Pixel 10 Pros on a road trip across the most boring highway in America (and, thankfully, a different highway home) through the bulk of central Indiana and Illinois. I also passed through parts of Kentucky and Tennessee. Since I live in Chicago, I have found 5G coverage to be pretty great, but what about when I leave the big city?
That's what I wanted to find out. While you were probably shopping for some of the best Black Friday deals you could find, we were driving for 13 hours from Chicago to Nashville.
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