Does GrapheneOS Support 5G? Everything You Need to Know

GrapheneOS and 5G: Full Support

One of the most common questions we receive is whether GrapheneOS supports 5G. The answer is yes — fully and without any caveats.

How 5G Works on GrapheneOS

GrapheneOS runs on Google Pixel hardware, which includes 5G modems in all current models (Pixel 6 and newer). The modem firmware is separate from the OS — it runs independently and interfaces with GrapheneOS through standard hardware abstraction layers.

This means 5G works on GrapheneOS exactly as it does on stock Android. There's nothing to configure, no special settings to enable — it just works.

UK 5G Network Compatibility

GrapheneOS Pixel devices are compatible with all major UK 5G networks:

EE ✅ — Full 5G support including EE's 5G SA network.

Vodafone ✅ — Full 5G support.

O2 ✅ — Full 5G support.

Three ✅ — Full 5G support. Three's 5G is particularly good on Pixel devices.

Sky Mobile ✅ — Full 5G support (uses O2 network).

iD Mobile ✅ — Full 5G support (uses Three network).

giffgaff ✅ — Full 5G support (uses O2 network).

5G SA vs 5G NSA

GrapheneOS supports both 5G Standalone (SA) and 5G Non-Standalone (NSA) modes, as these are handled by the modem hardware rather than the OS.

VoNR (Voice over New Radio)

VoNR — voice calls over 5G — works on GrapheneOS on supported networks. EE has been rolling out VoNR support, and GrapheneOS handles it correctly.

Does 5G Affect Battery Life?

As with any device, 5G uses more battery than 4G LTE. GrapheneOS's efficiency improvements help offset this — many users report better battery life on GrapheneOS than stock Android even with 5G enabled.

If battery life is critical, you can manually set the preferred network type to LTE in Settings → Network & Internet → SIMs.