Only High-End 6.7-Inch iPhone 12 Pro Max Said to Get mmWave 5G

Apple is set to introduce 5G technology in its 2020 iPhone lineup, but there are two kinds of 5G -- mmWave, which is the fastest, and sub-6GHz, which is slower but more widespread -- and there is mixed information on the spectrums the 2020 iPhones will support.

iPhone 12 5G New Teal
The fastest mmWave 5G could be limited to Apple's ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro lineup, and a new report from Fast Company suggests that mmWave technology could be limited to Apple's largest and most expensive ‌iPhone‌, the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max.

A source that spoke to Fast Company said that only the largest ‌iPhone‌ in the lineup has the space inside to accommodate the antenna design needed to implement mmWave support, along with the larger battery needed for its battery drain.

Further, Fast Company believes that the ‌iPhone 12 Pro Max‌ will support mmWave only in versions of the new ‌iPhone‌ sold in the United States, Korea, and Japan as some countries don't have well-established mmWave networks at this time.

mmWave is the fastest version of 5G, offering up speeds of up to 1Gb/s. but it is limited in scope because it has a short range that's only suitable for more urban areas because of the cost of deployment.

Sub-6Ghz is faster than the average 4G LTE connection, but slower than mmWave 5G. It has a much longer range, however, making it suitable for use in urban, suburban, and rural areas alike, and it is expected to be the more widely available version of 5G.

There have been a few rumors lately that have indicated Apple's ‌iPhone‌ 12 lineup will have a staggered launch, with the more affordable ‌iPhone‌ 12 models coming out before the more expensive ‌iPhone‌ 12 Pro models.

There have also been suggestions that the mmWave 5G iPhones could be delayed because of production issues, which matches up with rumors that it's the Pro models that support mmWave while the lower-end iPhones stick to sub-6GHz.

Related Forum: iPhone

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Top Rated Comments

SDJim Avatar
63 months ago
Honestly, I do not care at all about this feature.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Braderunner Avatar
63 months ago
Sooo stupid, if true. A lot of people will have to decide if they are willing to put up with a phablet, to have this feature.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sinequanon83 Avatar
63 months ago
So, literally no iphone that's ever been made has had this feature. Is your phone not fast enough now? Why does anyone care about this?
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MattMJB0188 Avatar
63 months ago
Miss the days when there was one size and one phone.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ghostface147 Avatar
63 months ago
That's fine, it only works in dozens of places.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleFan91 Avatar
63 months ago

Does anyone even care about this 5G?
I believe Kuo reported this few months back.
I certainly do. I live in a city that Verizon has had MMwave in for well over a year and it’s all over. I get that it’s sparse for most but I would welcome it personally
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)