Analyst Kuo: Apple will release three iPhones with 5G support next year

The three iPhones that Apple will release in 2020 all have support for 5G. That claims analyst Ming-Chi Kuo based on his own information. Apple will probably still use Qualcomm modems in these models.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said last month that only the XS and XS Max variants would get a 5G modem in 2020, but he has now revised that in a new report that MacRumors has seen. The XR successor in 2020 would also receive 5g. According to Kuo, all models will get a 5G modem because consumers would see that as a requirement by then. The analyst expects Android smartphones with 5G next year from 250 to 350 dollars for sale. The more expensive iPhones could therefore not be left behind.

According to Kuo, all three models will receive support for 5g on high mmWave frequencies and on lower frequencies below 6GHz. This would make the iPhones suitable for the 5G networks on the American market. Apple would also consider a cheaper model for, for example, the Chinese market with a 5G modem that only works on frequencies below 6GHz, but according to Kuo it is not clear whether that model will come.

Kuo argues that after the acquisition of Intel’s smartphone modem division, Apple will have more resources for the development of iPhones with a 5G modem and cites this as one of the reasons that all three models will receive the new technology in 2020. However, Apple will continue to use Qualcomm modems in the coming years. That was laid down in the settlement between the two companies, which followed a legal battle for years. In addition, Apple needs time to develop its own modem and integrate it into its socs, a process that can take years.