The next-gen iPhone could see an even faster LTE function.
Per a recently published note released by Apple analyst and guru Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, the 2018 iPhone will build on LTE antenna technology introduced with iPhone X to support ultra-fast transmissions speeds designated by 4×4 MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) standards.
Kuo stated that Apple is likely to upgrade its current antenna design to include flexible circuit boards created from liquid crystal polymer. The LCP boards, compared to current flexible circuit boards made from polyamide, will offer better frequency attenuation, thermal performance and moisture resistance.
Apple incorporates two LCP FCPBs in the iPhone X, the iPhone 8 utilizing a single LCP module. Apple is expected to include two LCP LTE antenna modules per handset, if not more. The forthcoming hardware is said to feature higher end specifications that will support 4×4 MIMO standards according to Kuo.
Though competing handset makers plan to make the transition to 5G, Apple is seemingly content to maximize the potential of 4G LTE technologies. Samsung’s Galaxy S8 was one of the first to support Gigabit speeds, notably through 4×4 MIMO, carrier aggregation and 256 QAM offered in some cities by T-Mobile.
Career, which supplies 20 to 25 percent of all LCP LTE antenna FCPBs for the iPhone X, is expected to grows share of orders to 45 to 50 percent in the coming year. Career presently focuses on FCPB manufacture, not in-house antenna module integration and might need assistance from other vendors. Kuo has stated that Luxshare-ICT and Sunway as the most viable candidates in this regard.
For 2017, Apple’s iPhone LCP modules were supplied by Murata and Amphenol, which were integrated into FPCBs manufactured by Murata and Career.
Stay tuned additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider