Apple is designing its own 5G antenna for future iPhones

According to a report by Fast Company from a source with "knowledge of Apple's plans", Apple will be working on its own 5G antenna design for future iPhones instead of relying on other vendors such as Qualcomm.

File photo: iPhone 11 Pro phones at Beyond the Box

Apple is designing its own 5G antenna for future iPhones

Apple will still use Qualcomm's X55 5G modems since they don't have the ability to produce one at the moment, but with its own design.

Apple balked at the QTM 525 millimeter-wave antenna module offered to it by Qualcomm because it doesn’t fit into the sleek industrial design Apple wants for the new phone, a source with knowledge of Apple’s plans told Fast Company.

Why? There are two reasons. First, it would result in a thicker iPhone than what apple wants. Second, Apple will pay more royalties to Qualcomm if it will use Qualcomm's antenna design.

The 5G iPhone would use a "phased array" antenna with two parts designed to form a signal beam.

Then, the beam can be electronically steered in different directions without the antenna moving. The modem chip and the antenna module work closely together to make this work properly.

It won't be an easy task though. The source said that the antennas required for millimeter-wave (mmwave) 5G devices are harder to design than other kinds of antennas. The reason behind it is these types of antennas send and receive higher frequency signals than earlier generations.

Historically, Apple is bad at designing antennas for phones. Remember the #AntennaGate?

Fast Company said that the iPhone with 5G is expected to launch this year. We are hoping for the best.

Source: Fast Company

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