Signs that more users are turning off or limiting their use of 5G to extend smartphone battery life highlight the urgent need for improved power efficiency technologies, which are due to arrive when 5G Advanced enters with 3GPP Release 18 in 2024. Meanwhile, the leading SoC makers such as Qualcomm and MediaTek, are touting their credentials for power efficiency, to woo device makers. But the major smartphone makers themselves have been underlining the ability to restrict use of 5G to save power even as they promote their latest 5G-capable models. Both Apple and Samsung now provide several ways of minimizing power usage, including default options that switch to 4G LTE when that provides adequate performance for current applications. A key…