5G

All of the iPhones in Apple's iPhone 12 lineup will have Qualcomm modems that support 5G, but potential buyers need to know that not all 5G networks are equal. There's the super fast mmWave (millimeter wave) 5G and the slower but more widespread Sub-6GHz 5G. There have been mixed rumors about which iPhone 12 models will support which 5G spectrums, but it appears that the fastest 5G...

Apple shipped an estimated 40.4 million iPhone 12 devices during the first quarter of 2021, according to new data shared by Strategy Analytics. The figure suggests Apple has maintained its grip on the global 5G smartphone market, despite indicating a 23% dip compared to the fourth quarter of 2020, when Apple shipped 52.2 million units. Apple enjoyed booming sales in the 5G market in the...

Qualcomm today announced it has upgraded its Snapdragon X65 5G modem with improved power efficiency and support for wider mmWave carriers, a key requirement ahead of the rollout of 5G mmWave networks in China. Specifically, the modem now supports wider 200MHz carrier bandwidth in the mmWave spectrum and mmWave in standalone (SA) mode, while new power-saving technologies part of Qualcomm 5G...

Apple plans to adopt its own custom-designed 5G baseband chip starting with the 2023 iPhones, meaning it'll no longer need to rely on Qualcomm to supply the 5G cellular modem for the iPhone, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today in an investors note obtained by MacRumors. According to Kuo, Apple plans to include its own custom-designed 5G baseband chip starting with the launch of the 2023...

Apple is planning to increase the availability of 5G mmWave capable iPhone models to more countries around the world with the release of the iPhone 13 later this year, offering even more customers access to the faster and newer technology, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a research note obtained by MacRumors, Kuo says that infrastructure for mmWave technology will increase...

Apple is expected to substantially increase shipments of mmWave enabled iPhone models in 2021 thanks to the increased demand and improved global support for the newer technology, according to DigiTimes. Apple currently only offers mmWave-enabled iPhone 12 models in the United States and is likely to hold off on offering the option to more countries until the technology is more widely...

Huawei will begin negotiating for royalties from Apple and Samsung for access to its portfolio of patents on 5G technology (via Bloomberg). Huawei is the owner of the world's largest collection of 5G patents and is seeking to charge other large tech companies a "reasonable" fee for access to them, creating a substantial new source of revenue. Huawei's Chief Legal Officer, Song Liuping,...

Apple's custom-designed 5G cellular modem will likely debut in all 2023 iPhone models, according to Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Thomas O'Malley. In a supplier-focused research note shared with MacRumors, the analysts said chipmakers Qorvo and Broadcom should be among the companies that benefit from the shift to Apple's in-house solution. Fast Company's Mark Sullivan and Bloomberg's...

T-Mobile today introduced a new Magenta MAX smartphone plan that offers truly unlimited LTE and 5G data in the United States, meaning that speeds are not throttled after using a certain amount of data per month. Magenta MAX will be available starting February 24 for both consumers and small businesses, with pricing starting at $57 per month ($47 per month for a limited time) with three lines ...

Apple is hiring engineers to work on next-generation 6G wireless technology, based on job listings spotted by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The listings are for positions at Apple's offices in Silicon Valley and San Diego, where the company works on wireless technology development and chip design, according to Gurman's report. "You will have the unique and rewarding opportunity to craft next...

Apple today seeded the first beta of iOS 14.5 to developers for testing, and a key new feature is global support for 5G in Dual-SIM mode on iPhone 12 models, as noted by Rene Ritchie. This functionality was previously only available in mainland China. iPhone 12 models are equipped with both a physical SIM slot and a digital eSIM, allowing for a feature known as dual SIM, dual standby. This...

The iPhone 13 lineup may expand faster mmWave 5G connectivity to more countries outside the United States, according to Taiwanese supply chain sources cited by Patently Apple. The report claims that a Taiwanese company called Qiqi is in the process of receiving a "large order" for mmWave antennas destined for the ‌iPhone 13‌ lineup, which may explain Qiqi chairman Xie Hongbo's announcement ...

A new report published today by Counterpoint Research finds that the iPhone 12 became the world's bestselling 5G smartphone in October, in spite of its delayed launch. Although the ‌iPhone 12‌ was only sold for two weeks in October, it was still able to top the rankings. These two weeks' worth of sales allowed the ‌iPhone 12‌ to become the seventh-bestselling 5G device sold between...

The popularity of iPhone 12 models has led to soaring demand for Qualcomm's 5G modems and RF chips, helping to propel the chipmaker's revenues past that of rival Broadcom in the third quarter of 2020, according to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce. Qualcomm reported $4.9 billion revenue in the third quarter, a 37.6% increase over the year-ago quarter, compared to $4.6 billion for Broadcom....

Qualcomm earned $8.3 billion in revenue in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to the company's earnings report that was shared today. That's up 73 percent from the fourth quarter of 2019, with Qualcomm's strong performance due in part to the 5G chips used in the iPhone 12 and other smartphones on the market. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf said that...

Apple has introduced the option to download iOS software updates using 5G cellular data on the iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, and iPhone 12 Pro Max, according to a support document published this week. To download iOS updates over 5G, users will have to enable the "Allow More Data on 5G" mode in the Settings app under Cellular > Cellular Data Options > Data Mode. Apple says this...

In April 2019, Apple and Qualcomm announced an agreement to dismiss a long-running legal battle between the two companies worldwide, paving the way for Apple to use Qualcomm's 5G modems for its iPhone 12 lineup and beyond. Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X60 modem is built on a 5nm process A teardown video shared earlier today revealed that Apple is using Qualcomm's Snapdragon X55 modem in...

After the first reviews for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro emerged yesterday, a new report by Tom's Guide reveals the extent of battery life reductions when using 5G. The report outlines a test wherein the iPhone surfs the web continuously at 150 nits of screen brightness, launching a new site every 30 seconds until the battery drains. Interestingly, the test was run on an iPhone 12 and...

iPhone XS models and newer feature both a physical SIM slot and a digital eSIM, allowing for a feature known as dual SIM, dual standby. This means you can have two lines of service on one iPhone, which is useful for purchasing data-only plans while traveling abroad or having personal and business lines on a single iPhone. 5G will not be available in Dual SIM mode on the iPhone 12 and iPhone...

Using an iPhone 12 in Dual SIM mode throttles the cellular data speed to 4G LTE, according to an Apple Sales FAQ shared with retailers and carriers. All 5G iPhone 12 models support Dual SIM mode, which refers to the ability to switch between a SIM card and an eSIM operating on independent numbers and/or carriers. However, an image of a training document from Apple's Sales Web resources...

During its iPhone 12 event this week, Apple expended an unusually long amount of talk time on pressing home the benefits of 5G, and even gave the chairman and CEO of Verizon, Hans Vestberg, a segment to explain how "5G just got real." "The power of Verizon 5G meets the first iPhone with 5G." That same slogan is at the heart of Verizon's marketing campaign for mmWave 5G on ‌iPhone 12‌, as...