‘Design antennas iPhone XS models lead to reduced range’
The design of the antennas of the iPhone XS and XS Max means that they need too much power to receive signals, as a result of which the range of the new iPhones may be disappointing, according to an expert based on test data from the FCC inspection authority.
Users complain about the own forum of Apple and various other places about limited coverage of wifi and / or 4g. According to the blog WiWavelength which concentrates on the analysis of the reach tests of the inspection authority FCC, that may be due to the antenna gain of the iPhone XS and XS Max. It scores less than other smartphones.
As a result, the phone can receive less radio signals at the same power supply. The blog does not know exactly what it is, but concludes from tests of the FCC that it seems that the XS and XS Max both do less than on many frequency bands. Not only the iPhone X do better, but other smartphones on the market too. Recently, a test showed that the reception of the iPhone X is less than that of other high-end models.
Apple could use an update to increase the power supply to the antennas and if possible improve the range, says WiWavelength. Ideally, a hardware update to the phones with new antennas. However, such a thing is rare after the release of a smartphone.
The XS and XS Max have a new antenna set-up, which should make 4×4 MiMo via 4g possible. For this Apple has sacrificed the symmetry with holes next to the Lightning port; an extra antenna line was needed, to the left of the Lightning connection.
According to WiWavelength, it is in any case not the Intel modem. It does not have to do with antenna amplification and the Qualcomm and Intel modems also scored the same with the iPhone X. The blog did the analysis on the American version of the XS and XS Max. There is nothing about the version that Apple releases in the Benelux, among other things, and that supports other 4G tapes.