Following the iPhone 12 announcement last week, a number of people wondered what the rectangular patch was on the side of the handset. The cool cats at The Verge have confirmed that this is an antenna related to the mmWave 5G capability of the handset.
The patch functions as an antenna window, and allows the mmWave 5G signals to pass through. It also appears as if it’s designed to be seen, which might make you less likely to hold your iPhone 12 in such a way that you cover up the window.
Since mmWave 5G is a U.S.-only thing for the iPhone 12, you won’t see that window on handsets manufactured for other countries. The n260 and n261 bands are only listed on Apple’s frequency bands page for the U.S.
If you’re in a country that won’t be offering mmWave 5G in the near term, there is some consolation: mmWave 5G is still notoriously unreliable and inconsistent. Even outdoors in a region where the frequencies have rolled out, you might not find an mmWave signal from one street corner to the next.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via The Mac Observer and The Verge