The Cupertino tech giant Apple will only launch sub-6 GHz compatible 5G iPhone models this year. Additionally, iPhone models with mmWave may not be released until 2021, according to a new report from analysts at Susquehanna. Furthermore, should the iPhone models with mmWave release next year it might come in small volumes, adds the report.
Various carriers all over the world are releasing sub-6 GHz and millimeter wave (mmWave) in different deployments and timelines. Generally, mmWave is the one with the insane speed throughput, which could potentially exceed 1 Gbps. Unfortunately, its range is much smaller, which means carries must setup numerous cell towers to make it available to consumers.
The current 5G, which is sub-6 GHz in the US, achieve speeds within 100 to 150 Mbps. For instance, T-Mobile rolled out across the US the 600 MHz 5G network, but it is only a little faster than the current 4G LTE. The company is also offering another 5G technology called mmWave, which is about ten times faster than the 4G LTE.
Other carriers like AT&T and Verizon are also offering it, but it is not yet widely available, could not cover large areas, and could not penetrate buildings or walls. Consumers who want to get faster speeds, at this point, need to stand very close to a cell tower that provides mmWave support. Apple might ship 60 million 5G iPhones in the second half of this year, estimates Susquehanna.
In January 2021, Apple will release about 8 million mmWave compatible iPhones. It appears that the Cupertino company decided to make its own in-package antenna module instead of using the readily available one in the market, which explains the potential delay. Apple may announce all of its new iPhone models in its special event in Sept. 2020, but iPhone models with 5G mmWave support may arrive two months later.
Apple already did something like this when it unveiled the iPhone 8 and iPhone X in Sept. 2017 and released the iPhone X a couple of months later. The slower 5g iPhone models will feature LCD screens with the mmWave iPhones will have OLED displays, similar to the screen of the iPhone 11 Pro, according to Susquehanna. In other words, the successor of the iPhone 11 may only have 5G sub-6 GHz support, which has a more widespread network, while the successors of the iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max might arrive later with mmWave 5G support.
Although the current details come from Susquehanna, it is worth mentioning that these are predictions and not official statements from Apple. With this, we suggest taking this with a pinch of salt.
