Apple's 2020 iPhone Trio Will All Reportedly Gain 5G Support
While the bulk of attention is being focused on Apple's upcoming 2019 iPhone refresh, there is still a lot that we don't know about the company's smartphones that will arrive in 2020. Thankfully, we're getting some additional insight on what Apple has in the pipeline thanks to reliable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
It was previously thought that Apple would only introduce 5G connectivity on its two flagship iPhones in 2020 (analogous to today's iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max), while the lesser iPhone XR successor would stick to tried and true 4G LTE connectivity. Kuo now claims, however, that all three models with have 5G connectivity.
"Apple has more resource for developing the 5G iPhone after the acquisition of Intel baseband business," wrote Kuo in a research note. "We expect that the prices of 5G Android smartphones will decline to $249-349 USD in 2H20. We believe that 5G Android smartphones, which will be sold at $249-349 USD, will only support Sub-6GHz"
Apple, which likely thinks that consumers will consider 5G connectivity a "must have" by the second half of 2020, appears to be ready to go all-in with 5G. If Apple is confident that 5G is the future, it wouldn't make sense for it to introduce 5G on only its high-end models. In addition, Kuo adds that Apple's 2020 iPhones will support both mmWave and sub-6GHz bands to give customers the full gamut of coverage with respect to 5G connectivity.
In the real world, mmWave will ideally be used in urban centers, providing high-speed 5G connectivity over short distances. Sub-6GHz spectrum would be able to provide slower -- albeit still pretty darn fast -- 5G speeds over longer distances.
Apple's 2020 iPhones will be using 5G Qualcomm Snapdragon modems as a result of the two companies coming to a mutual supply agreement earlier this year. However, as early as 2021, Apple will begin using its own in-house modems made possible by last week's acquisition of Intel's technology, IP, and employees associated with smartphone modems.
