Vodafone GigaCube 5G review

If you plan to get 5G home broadband on Vodafone, then at the time of writing it’s the Vodafone GigaCube that the company will send you. Specifically, the Vodafone GigaCube 5G, as there’s also a 4G version that’s a completely different device – though this 4G model appears to have been discontinued.

While it’s a shame that there’s no choice offered, that’s not unusual among broadband providers and – as you’ll see below – the Vodafone GigaCube 5G is a very good 5G home broadband device, albeit one that doesn’t offer much you won’t get from rivals.

Below we’ll cover everything you need to know about the Vodafone GigaCube 5G, including its design, specs, features, and the key rivals you’ll find elsewhere.

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Design

The Vodafone GigaCube 5G is a white rectangle that stands upright like a mini monolith. It has grilles on the top and bottom, indicator lights on the front, and while this is sold as a Vodafone device it’s actually a ZTE MC888 Ultra.

You don’t need to worry too much about the model, but we’ll get to how it performs below. In terms of how it looks, it’s plain, with most of the points of interest actually being hidden away at the back. It’s here that you’ll find a pair of Ethernet ports, along with the power lead.

At 205 x 100 x 100mm it’s taller than most broadband devices, but should still comfortably fit on most surfaces.

Setup

One of the good things about 5G home broadband is just how quick and easy it is to set up. The process is similar on most devices, but essentially you just need to put the supplied SIM card in, plug the Vodafone GigaCube 5G in, switch it on, and then it should quickly get up and running.

From there you can connect to the network it broadcasts using the supplied Wi-Fi password, and optionally configure additional settings or change the password via a web browser.

Anyone who’s ever set a router up before or has even the most basic of tech skills should find this refreshingly easy to set up, and the best bit is that there’s no need for an engineer to visit and no need to wait for your connection to be switched on. So where wired broadband can take days or weeks to get up and running, with the Vodafone GigaCube 5G you can have your internet working within minutes of receiving the device.

Again though, this is similar to most 5G home broadband devices, so only really an advantage compared to traditional broadband.

Performance and speeds

While the GigaCube itself is theoretically capable of download speeds of up to 3.8Gbps, realistically you’re not going to be getting that outside of lab conditions.

Vodafone for its part claims top 5G speeds of a more realistic 1Gbps at the moment, which is still extraordinarily fast, and still faster than most homes will probably get.

Given the performance of Vodafone and the UK’s other 5G networks in general at the moment, most people probably won’t see an average speed of much more than 250Mbps for the time being, but there is the potential that this could improve in time as networks do.

In fact, in many areas your average speeds will likely be lower still. Independent testing by Opensignal in 2024 found Vodafone’s average 5G download speed to be 138.7Mbps, while RootMetrics found its median to be 184.9Mbps, though actual speeds will very much depend on how close you are to a mast, among other factors.

Even at those speeds though you’re looking at speeds that are far higher than a typical 4G connection, and while some fibre broadband will have that beat, most won’t. So you’re likely to be able to get speeds from the Vodafone GigaCube 5G that rival or beat the speeds you can get from conventional broadband – just as long as your home has Vodafone 5G coverage.

Features and software

Some 4G broadband devices allow for a frustratingly small number of simultaneous connections, but that’s not so far the case with most 5G ones, including the Vodafone GigaCube 5G, which can get up to 64 devices online at once. That means even if you have multiple phones, tablets, TVs, computers, consoles and more all trying to connect to the internet at once, the Vodafone GigaCube 5G won’t have an issue.

The device also has two Ethernet ports, so you can get a wired connection to a couple of your gadgets if you want, and it supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi.

What the Vodafone GigaCube doesn’t have is any external antenna ports, which is a bit disappointing, and means you might need to think carefully about placement – though as it doesn’t need connecting to a landline, you’re free to place it anywhere in reach of a socket.

Alternatives

The Vodafone GigaCube 5G has two main rivals, namely the Three 5G Hub and the EE Smart 5G Hub.

But the Three 5G Hub is a very similar device, also made by ZTE, and also packing maximum download speeds of 3.8Gbps, plus two Ethernet ports, support for 64 connections, and no external antenna ports.

The EE Smart 5G Hub is a different brand but also with similar specs, including two Ethernet ports and no antenna ports – but with the ability to get over 100 devices online.

But while the devices are similar, tests from RootMetrics suggest that Three and EE offer higher median 5G download speeds than Vodafone, while Opensignal found that Three’s average speeds were higher too, so that’s worth considering – though now that Vodafone and Three are merging, you may be able to use the latter’s signal soon. As noted above though, the speeds you personally get will have as much to do with your location as your network.

Beyond these, some networks offer hybrid devices that can work either as home broadband or mobile broadband. That is to say, they pump out a 5G signal and can be either battery powered (to take with you) or plugged into the mains (for longer term use in one spot).

On EE for example you can get the EE 5G WiFi, a device that can get over 100 gadgets online at once but that has a 6,460mAh battery for use on the move.

Plans

At the time of writing, the Vodafone GigaCube 5G is available on a 24-month contract with unlimited data for £35 per month, plus £15 upfront, or with 200GB of monthly data for £35 per month plus £45 upfront – prices which make no sense, since there would never be any reason to buy the 200GB model. So perhaps these prices will have been changed by the time you buy it.

Alternatively you can get it on just a 30-day plan where you have to pay £150 upfront, then pay £60 a month for unlimited data or £40 a month for 200GB.

The option of short or long-term contracts is good, but Vodafone is charging significantly more than Three for similar hardware.

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Conclusion

The Vodafone GigaCube 5G is an excellent 5G home broadband router, and one that’s broadly competitive with rival devices, though tests suggest that Three and EE might have Vodafone’s 5G speeds beat.

Still, Vodafone’s 5G should be more than fast enough for most users, so the biggest deciding factor (assuming you have 5G coverage at home from multiple networks) is the allowances and prices, and on that front, while Vodafone has a pleasing number of plan options to choose from, it just can’t compete with Three for price.

As such, we can’t rate Vodafone’s broadband solution quite as high as Three’s, but it’s still an excellent purchase, and if you have Vodafone 5G coverage at home you won’t likely regret buying it.

• Dimensions (mm): 205 x 100 x 100
• Modem: 5G
• Colours: White
• Ethernet ports: 2 Ethernet ports
• Download speeds: Up to 3.8Gbps
• Upload speeds: Up to 280Mbps
• Wi-Fi specs: Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4GHz and 5GHz)
• External Antenna: N/A
• Power: Mains powered
• Launch date: Out now