Apple Is Reportedly Planning Its Own 5G iPhone Antenna Module

Apple is reportedly planning on using its own 5G iPhone antenna module instead of one that was designed by Qualcomm. According to a new Fast Company report, Apple was dissatisfied with the one that Qualcomm offered up.

Apple apparently “balked” at the design of Qualcomm’s QTM 525 5G mmWave antenna module because it didn’t fit into what Apple’s believes to be a new, sleek design for the iPhone 12.

If Apple does indeed use its own antenna module, it still intends to use Qualcomm’s 5G modem. That alone could cause issues, with the idea of the antenna and modem being made by two different companies potentially causing issues. The iPhone 12 is expected to use a phased array antenna which would entail working together with the modem in order to utilize beamforming.

The beam can be electronically steered in different directions without the antenna moving. The modem chip and the antenna module work closely together to make this work properly, our source said. Having the two parts made by different companies may introduce some uncertainty and bump up the difficulty level of the overall design.

The idea of Apple building its own antenna is a concern for many because the company doesn’t have a great history in that regard.

It made and designed the antenna that went into the iPhone 4 – the phone that could famously be “held wrong” to cause cellular connection issues and dropped calls. The potential for a repeat performance will fill many of those who had an iPhone 4 with dread.

(Source: Fast Company)

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