No. Screen is larger but lower resolution on 7.2, and Snapdragon 660 is much slower than Snapdragon 835. So lower PPI and worse SoC. https://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=9833&idPhone2=8522
Some networks (mine included - EE UK) can tell handsets what indicator to show, even unlocked handsets running a global ROM. This is a bit like how T-Mobile US shows 4G instead of H+ and AT&T shows 5GE instead of 4G+. In my case, I see 4G even when I'm connected to 4G+. You can verify what you're actually connected to using Cellmapper (it'll say LTE-A if you're on 4G+).