T-Mobile Inseego MiFi X PRO 5G (M3000) Review

T-Mobile’s new Inseego MiFi X PRO 5G ($264) hotspot (also referred to as the M3000) is the follow-up to the Inseego 5G MiFi M2000, which earned an Editors’ Choice award when we reviewed it last year. The new model carries over everything we liked about the previous model, and introduces some welcome improvements such as an ethernet port and the ability to connect even more devices via Wi-Fi. Unsurprisingly, that makes it our new Editors’ Choice winner for T-Mobile hotspots.

Is the Inseego MiFi X PRO 5G Right for You?

You might be on the fence about whether you need a hotspot. Your phone probably includes tethering, but mobile phones only support so many connected Wi-Fi devices (typically 10) when used as a hotspot. With a dedicated hotspot, you can connect as many as 32 different devices. In other words, if you need to connect more than a handful of devices, a hotspot is the best option.

Moreover, using a phone as a hotspot drains the phone’s battery quickly. Having a dedicated device for tethering keeps your laptop and other devices connected without burning through your phone’s battery. And in some business cases, companies will pay for your hotspot, making it easier to keep track of than a tethered phone data plan when it comes to reporting expenses.

T-Mobile offers a range of hotspot plans. The top-tier plan includes 100GB of data for $50 per month. Others include 2GB for $10, 5GB for $20, and 10GB for $30. By way of comparison, T-Mobile’s $140-per-month Magenta Max unlimited smartphone plan includes up to 40GB of hotspot data per month. If you need more than 40GB of hotspot data per month, a dedicated hotspot is the only way to get it.

(Credit: Dave LeClair)

Your phone might be more petite than a hotspot, but the M3000 isn’t too big. It measures 5.90 by 2.91 by 0.74 inches and weighs 8.5 ounces, making it small enough to carry around in a bag comfortably, if a little chunky to stuff into a pocket.

Part of the reason for the bulk is the large 5,050mAh battery, which you can remove and replace. The SIM card slot, which is required to get the device connected to T-Mobile’s network, is tucked under the battery.

The M3000 offers solid battery life, though how long it lasts will vary based on how many devices are connected, how much data you use, and whether you’re using the ethernet port. Inseego recommends connecting the hotspot to the included USB-C charger to keep it running longer. when using ethernet. We tested it by connecting two devices (a phone and a desktop computer) and streaming YouTube videos on both. It lasted 5 hours and 52 minutes. If you use it for just browsing the web, you should see better battery life.

Inseego MiFi X PRO 5G Features

The most significant change to the M3000 over the M2000 is the ethernet port, which lets you connect a desktop computer or other device at the fastest possible speeds. The hotspot relies on a USB-C port for charging the device itself, but it can also be used as a power bank to recharge a phone or other device.

While not meant to replace your home internet service, the ethernet port and rapid speeds offered by the M3000 do make that a possibility if you keep data use in check. I use close to 1TB of data per month, so there’s no way I could replace my home internet with this or any other hotspot. But if you use far less data, it’s possible.

(Credit: Dave LeClair)

You control the device through a 2.4-inch touch LCD. You can alter the hotspot’s settings via the touch screen or the web. We complained about the previous model’s unresponsive touch screen, but we had no such issues with the new model. The display reacted to every interaction and touch without fail.

If you elect to use the web interface, you can take control of more advanced settings like MAC filtering, port forwarding, guest networks, and a basic firewall—none of which are accessible via the touch screen.

Blazing 5G Connectivity

At the end of the day, the most important thing about a hotspot is the speed, and that’s precisely where the Inseego MiFi X PRO 5G impresses most.

The T-Mobile version of the MiFi X PRO 5G comes with the Snapdragon X62 modem inside, while the Verizon version gets the X65. The X62 has less capacity than the X65 and is thus limited to maximum theoretical download speeds of 4.4Gbps, whereas the X65 can reach 10Gbps. Theoretical capabilities aside, no wireless network supports either of these speeds yet. The T-Mobile hotspot supports the carrier’s 5G bands, including n77 and n78 C-band. As with the previous generation, the T-Mobile Inseego model lacks mmWave support, but that’s fine as T-Mobile doesn’t offer much in the way of mmWave coverage.

I connected my desktop to the Inseego via the ethernet port and went about my typical day, which included working and playing games like Dota 2 and the latest Call of Duty. The speed was so good that I forgot I was connected to a 5G hotspot and not my home internet.

My home internet service maxes out at 1,200Mbps when connected directly to the modem. The hotspot wasn’t that fast in testing, but the key is that it was fast enough. In a speed test run on my PC, it achieved 609Mbps down and 22.41Mbps up. Of course, top speeds require excellent T-Mobile 5G service.

(Credit: Dave LeClair)

When tested via Wi-Fi, speeds were slower. The Inseego supports Wi-Fi 6, though not Wi-Fi 6E. On the same Windows 11 PC, I reached wireless download speeds of 131Mbps and upload speeds of 25Mbps. Those are fine speeds, though the difference between wired and wireless performance is stark.

Despite the solid speed runs, during peak usage time (around 4 pm), the hotspot did struggle to stream a YouTube video at 1080p on my desktop PC. The speed test results also dropped to 54Mbps down during that time, showing that network congestion is a key factor in determining what kind of performance you can expect to get. During the middle of the day and late at night are when speeds are typically best.

These performance dips during peak times aren’t limited to the hotspot. We compared it with the tethering performance of an iPhone 14 Pro Max on T-Mobile and experienced similar download speeds and buffering.

A Speedy Upgrade

Beyond the ethernet port, the Inseego MiFi X PRO 5G supports more 5G bands than the previous model—including critical mid-band spectrum—and can thus access better 5G speeds. It also adds support for more connected devices than the M2000 (32 vs. 30). These upgrades, along with stellar performance in testing, make it the best hotspot you can buy on T-Mobile, as well as an Editors’ Choice winner.