I tested 5G coverage from the big 3 mobile carriers on a road trip - the winner was a surprise

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• 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: We ran battery tests on 17 phones - this model lasted the longest

To do this, I took those same Google Pixel 10 Pros on a road trip across ...