Look up LTE device capabilities by category, or find the minimum category for a required throughput.
Parameter
Value
Max DL Throughput
Max UL Throughput
DL MIMO Layers
UL MIMO Layers
DL Modulation
UL Modulation
Max Component Carriers
Use Case
Minimum category meeting requirement
Parameter
Value
Required DL
Category Peak DL
Category Peak UL
DL MIMO Layers
DL Modulation
Max CCs
Use Case
Full LTE UE Category Reference
Category
Max DL (Mbps)
Max UL (Mbps)
DL Layers
UL Layers
DL Mod
UL Mod
Max CCs
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
What is LTE UE Category?
LTE UE Category (User Equipment Category) is a 3GPP-defined classification that specifies a device's maximum supported LTE capabilities. Each category defines the peak downlink and uplink throughput, the maximum number of MIMO layers, the highest modulation order (64QAM or 256QAM), and the maximum number of component carriers for carrier aggregation. A higher category number generally means faster speeds and more advanced features, though the relationship is not always linear above Cat 8.
Which LTE category do most smartphones use?
Most mainstream smartphones released between 2015 and 2020 are LTE Cat 6 or Cat 9, supporting 2–3 carrier aggregation and peak downloads of about 300–450 Mbps. High-end flagships often support Cat 12 to Cat 15, with 3–5 CA bands and 256QAM modulation reaching theoretical peaks of 600 Mbps to nearly 4 Gbps. Budget and IoT devices may be Cat 1 or Cat 4. Cat-M1 and Cat-NB1 are specialized IoT categories for eMTC and NB-IoT.
What is LTE Cat-M1 vs NB-IoT?
Cat-M1 (LTE-M / eMTC) and Cat-NB1 (NB-IoT) are both LTE-based IoT technologies for low power, wide area coverage. Cat-M1 supports ~1 Mbps throughput, voice over LTE, and device mobility (handover), suitable for wearables, asset trackers, and health monitors. Cat-NB1 has much lower throughput (~250 kbps DL / 70 kbps UL), no voice or mobility, but achieves extremely deep indoor coverage and ultra-low power consumption — ideal for static sensors, meters, and simple monitoring devices.