I am trying to set up a plan with a smaller carrier, but I have a feeling that since they are not on Google’s allowlist (even though I live in Canada), they will not let me use 5G with them. The Pixel watch supported carrier list also makes no sense, because for some reason the new carriers for the watch 2 don’t support the first version? I was thinking about switching to Samsung, but it seems they also pull off shenanigans in the way of region locking. Why are these practices in place?
Canadian here who used both small and big providers with pixel phones (3, 5 and 7 pro) bought directly from Google (not financed through the provider).
Not all smaller providers provide 5G but they all have LTE or LTE+. I had 5G working with my Pixel 5 without issue when I was with one of the large providers. I’m with a smaller provider now on my Pixel 7 pro and have no issue connecting to LTE(+).
But, you also mention the Pixel watch. I never used a watch with a sim card and I have to say that it is not always clear from the provider’s website if they are supported or if they will provide a esim for them or not, and at what cost. This is something that looks a lot more straightforward when with Apple than Android.
The provider that I use has 5G antennas/towers all over roads, and the capital also has some 5G+ locations. It also annoys me that I seem to need the 5G option to show up or else LTE+ does not work at all.