Does Visible support 5G?

Verizon 5G is available on all Visible plans

Visible is also known as Visible by Verizon since the prepaid carrier is owned and operated by Verizon Wireless. This gives Visible customers, with compatible phones, access to Verizon's 5G network as well as 4G LTE when coverage is available. For most Visible customers, accessing 5G should require no input from them at all apart from making sure their phone is up to date. Even so, most of the best Android phones should activate with 5G automatically.

If you have a 5G phone and a Visible SIM and are not getting 5G, there are a few things to check before giving up. First, the kind of phone you use matters. Some of the earliest Verizon-compatible 5G phones like the Galaxy S20 5G UW don't support the full network and will only get 5G coverage in a few areas in city centers. Next, you need to make sure your phone is running the latest version of Android available as carrier support may have been updated after the last update you allowed.

While most Verizon phones don't allow you to enable or disable 5G, some unlocked phones may. If you disabled 5G to save battery before, you could simply need to re-enable the feature. Finally, while Verizon has continued to rapidly expand 5G coverage, there are some towns and rural communities that still don't have 5G coverage. Check Visible's coverage map (opens in new tab) to see if your area is covered.

How does 5G differ on Visible's two plans?

Visible has two plans with a cheaper Visible plan coming in at $30 per month and the pricier Visible+ plan costing $45 per month. One of the main differences between the two is data with Visible stating the cheaper plan only has access to Nationwide 5G. This slower network uses lower frequencies making coverage stronger but speeds weaker due to its lower capacity.

Since capacity is lower on Nationwide 5G, phones on the base Visible plan will still connect to Ultra Wideband towers though speeds will be limited to around 25Mbps. This is plenty of speed for just about anything you can do on a phone so many people will be alright with this compromise.

Visible+ customers have their speeds unlocked on Ultra Wideband 5G so they can download to their heart's content. These customers also have 50GB of premium data which will make their traffic faster than others when the network is congested and struggling to keep up.

For most people, the speeds on the base Visible plan will be more than enough and is more comparable to Visible's older plan which we praised in our Visible review. If however, you live in a congested urban area or need all of the speed you can get, Visible+ is a worthy upgrade.