As 5G support are begin to rolling out all over the world, phone manufacturers are trying to make phones that would be able to access them. The iPhone 11 will hit phones in less than three months but none of the three iPhones Apple is getting ready to launch will feature 5G connectivity. A new report suggests that Apple has decided to launch a 5G-compatible phone in 2020, and will have three models.
Last month, renown Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that Apple will equip it 2020 iPhones with 5G modems. The first two has a 5.4-inch and 6.7-inch iPhone models that would support 5G, while the third model a cheaper 6.1-inch iPhone XR successor would only access LTE networks. Kuo has now issued a new report, saying that all three iPhone models will support 5G. He notes that “Apple has more resource for developing the 5G iPhone after the acquisition of Intel baseband business,” and that the price of Android 5G phones will drop.
Apple would rather wait for 5G coverage in order to improve before launching its own 5G devices. But an insider now says not only will Apple launch its first 5G phone next year but that all 2020 iPhones will support the new standard.
The analyst further explained that Apple might be working on two types of 5G iPhones, including devices that support both mmWave and Sub-6GHz spectrum and devices that only support Sub-6GHz. These are some versions of 5G out there with the latter option allowing the handset vendors to make cheaper devices. However, mmWave 5G will deliver faster speeds than Sub-6GHz.
Apple might have the intention to launch the phone containing 5G support, it only supports Sub-6GHz, to gain market share by lowering the cost/price for markets which only support Sub-6GHz, for instance, the Chinese market. Although 5G iPhone which only supports Sub-6GHz and the version which supports mmWave & Sub-6GHz are regarded as different projects even though they share the same form factor design.
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Moreover, Apple will likely use Qualcomm 5G chips in its first iPhones, but the company is also working on its 5G modem. A few days ago, Apple confirmed the rumors that it was interested in Intel’s 5G modem business by acquiring it for $1 billion. Even so, Apple’s first 5G modems aren’t expected until 2021 at the earliest.
As we all know that mmWave is the fastest and Sub-6GHz spectrum (two different kinds of 5G) for the U.S. market. But it is well suited to denser urban areas. It would not be used as much in rural or suburban areas, where mid-bands and low-bands, called Sub-6GHz 5G, will be employed. All are faster than 4G, with mmWave the fastest.
