iPhone 12 mini Is the “No cell coverage” effect more severe with 5G?

[eicca]

Title says it all. My cell coverage sucks at school, and I didn’t notice much effect on my 6S. My 12 Mini though gets warm in my pocket, the battery drains quite quickly and “No cell coverage” is listed in the battery page as second highest drain.

Is this a side effect of 5G?

 

[4sallypat]

It just means that you don't have 5G in your area.
To avoid this annoying issue, just change your cellular to connect via 4G instead of 5G. That's what I did with my iPhone 12 Pro.

 

[eicca]

What I’m asking is if the battery drain is worse for 5G phones when there’s no coverage at all.

 

[4sallypat]

What I’m asking is if the battery drain is worse for 5G phones when there’s no coverage at all.

Yes battery drain is much more when there is no cell signal.
Your phone will keep pinging to make contact with a cell tower.

Unless you are within Wifi range for Wifi calling, just put it in 4G mode and you will be able to get much better battery life not to mention connectivity.