Analyst: Apple limit the fast mmWave 5G to a few iPhone 12 models

(Update: Insiders pointed out the region and model restrictions) 5G for everyone?

Yes, but! Now, it is an open secret that Apple will launch a 5G-compatible iPhone with the iPhone 12 generation for the first time in a few weeks, but like Samsung’s current flagship products, this means that mmWave support is limited to certain models, such as the famous analysis Teacher Guo Ming-Chi now declares.

Although iPhone fans are currently looking forward to the leak shown in the picture above. The leak should have been shown as the glass back panel of the iPhone 12 Pro or iPhone 12 Pro Max, so the latest information about the camera layout is more or less confirmed, but the Everything about 5G is not in vain.

Well-known securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo usually learns a lot by observing the supply chain. He warned in a research report by TF Securities that only a relatively small number of iPhone 12 models can cover the entire 5G frequency band.

Samsung doesn’t offer mmWave in every 5G flagship

From our analysis of the international situation of the Galaxy S20 Ultra, it is known that Samsung only installs mmWave antennas for ultra-fast 5G over 500 Mbps in some parts of the world (especially in the United States). From a manufacturer’s point of view, this is likely to be reasonable because, for example, we have almost never used this high-frequency network in Europe. But it severely limits the international compatibility with 5G networks and the future of current 5G mobile phones safety.

As Kuo now explains, Apple may similarly use the new iPhone, and mainly only supports networks below 5G, which usually provide data throughput of 150 Mbps or less. But it is more extensive worldwide and does not need to look directly at the transmission rod. It is not clear whether Apple restricts mmWave to certain iPhone 12 models. Such as the iPhone 12 Pro Max, or whether there will be regional differences here like Samsung.

High additional costs for mmWave 5G support

In any case, analysts predict that there will be 4-6 million millimeter-wave enabled iPhones by 2020, and 2-25 million by 2021. This is not only due to the corona crisis, which is much lower than their respective expected totals (10 -20 million and 40 million). Kuo’s early estimates indicate that the surcharge for mmWave 5G is a sub-6 5G surcharge for each device. In addition to the current mmWave antennas that require more space, this explains why manufacturers are currently so stupid about hardware and don’t pay for all 5G mobile phones that are equipped with standard configuration.

Update 09/04/2020 Further insiders specify

The new report on this topic comes from the industry magazine FastCompany. Industry insiders hope to reveal to editors that Apple will only install mmWave compatibility in the most expensive and largest iPhone 12: the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max. This is due to the space requirements of the current still huge components and the requirement for larger batteries. In addition, according to people familiar with the matter, Apple will only sell iPhone 12 Pro Max models with mmWave support in the United States, Japan, and South Korea.

For future security, this is of course a disaster. As we have warned on the occasion of the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra controversy surrounding remote mmWave antennas outside the United States, these expensive flagship products will soon no longer be compatible with the new fast mmWave network. Just yesterday, Qualcomm President Christiano Amon reported on IFA some new mmWave networks in some European countries and around the world, which will not be available on the most expensive European iPhone 12 since 2020.

Image: Mr White Twitter