Today, Ming-Chi Kuo released his latest report. The report indicates that compared to 2020, global 5G millimeter-wave base station coverage will significantly increase in the second half of 2021. Therefore, it is expected that the proportion of millimeter-wave models in the iPhone 13 series will rise to 55%-60% (vs. mmWave models accounting for about 30-35% in the iPhone 12). The wireless communication design for the iPhone 13 mmWave models is similar to that of the iPhone 12. It still has an LCP flexible board feeder at the top and sides, respectively.
The report points out that although 5G phone shipments grew significantly in 2020, most of them only support the Sub-6 GHz band. Compared to Sub-6 GHz, millimeter wave technology offers technical advantages such as faster transmission speeds and lower latency, and can create more diverse application scenarios. The millimeter-wave models of the iPhone 12 were only available in the U.S. market, accounting for about 30-35% of total iPhone 12 shipments. We predict that the iPhone 13 mmWave models will cover more countries (such as Canada, Japan, Australia, and major mobile operators in Europe), with its share significantly increasing to 55-60%.
Ming-Chi Kuo stated that the latest investigation shows that the wireless communication design of the iPhone 13 mmWave model is similar to that of the iPhone 12. The iPhone 13 also has one LCP flexible circuit feeder on the top and the side. The top LCP flexible circuit feeder for the iPhone 13 is still exclusively supplied by Murata, while the side LCP flexible circuit feeder is jointly provided by Avary Holding, Flexium, and DSBJ, with Flexium accounting for up to 50% of the supply.