Apple to design its own 5G antenna enabled iPhones in 2020

• Apple is expected to launch multiple iPhones in 2020, with at least one of them being a 5G enabled device.

• Qualcomm will provide the 5G modem chip–its Snapdragon X55, also used in Samsung’s new Galaxy S20 phones–for the newest iPhone.

• Apple and Qualcomm’s surprise settlement last year indicates that the two companies will resume business.

According to the latest reports by Fast Company, Apple is expected to launch multiple iPhones this year, with at least one of them being a 5G enabled device. The smartphone is expected to make its way to the market later this year but ahead of its launch there have been a number of rumors which claim to reveal important details about the upcoming Apple iPhone.
 

Apple is designing the antenna module that will be used in its 5G iPhones in-house because it was unhappy with the version that Qualcomm designed, reports Fast Company, citing a source with knowledge of Apple's plans.
 

Apple apparently “balked” at the QTM 525 millimeter-wave antenna module offered to it by Qualcomm because it doesn’t fit into the sleek industrial design Apple wants for the new phone, a source with knowledge of Apple’s plans told Fast Company. But even as Apple is working on its new smartphone, it is working on another design, one of which will possibly also use Qualcomm’s QTM 525 modem. But for now, reports suggest the company doesn’t want to go with the latter as it believes the antenna would make the design thicker than what Apple wants.
 

Qualcomm will provide the 5G modem chip–its Snapdragon X55, also used in Samsung’s new Galaxy S20 phones–for the newest iPhone, which will likely be announced in the fall. Apple could permanently switch to the Qualcomm modem and antenna being used for another design but that would require Apple to settle for a slightly thicker iPhone than it wants.
 

Qualcomm has said that its QTM 525 antenna module will “support 5G smartphone designs sleeker than 8 millimeters thick.” But creating a design such as this would be quite challenging as 5G antenna for mmWave are more difficult to design due to the higher frequencies, there are tighter tolerances for manufacturing.
 

Sources say that the 2020 iPhones equipped with 5G will use a "phased array" antenna with two parts that work together to form a beam of radio signal, which could lead to issues if the antenna and modem module are made by different companies.
 

Few reasons why it could be a challenge for Apple:

Apple has a messy history with designing its own antennas, like the iPhone 4 and the “antennagate” that ensued. Most famously, its antenna design in the iPhone 4 was blamed for dropped calls when you held the phone in a certain way. Another more recent Apple antenna design required twice as much power as comparable antennas to produce the same amount of radio signal, sources said.
 

The antennas required for millimeter-wave (mmwave) 5G devices are harder to design than other kinds of antennas. Because these antennas send and receive higher frequency signals than earlier generations, sources said, there’s less room for error in their design and manufacture. A slight imperfection in an antenna coming off the production line might lead to connection problems later on.

The 5G iPhone will use a “phased array” antenna with two parts that work together to form a beam of radio signal. 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. Having the two parts made by different companies may introduce some uncertainty and bump up the difficulty level of the overall design.

A lot is riding on the success of the first 5G iPhone. In a year in which Apple hopes to return to iPhone sales grown, it’s depending on 5G’s fast connection speeds to convince many of its current customers to upgrade. And 5G’s performance is totally reliant on the antenna.

Three of Apple’s 2020 iPhones will support 5G – thanks to Apple and Qualcomm’s surprise settlement last year that saw the two companies resume business. But a new report from Fast Company indicates that Apple is looking to limit its reliance on Qualcomm, with the iPhone maker said to be exploring designing its own 5G antenna rather than relying on Qualcomm’s existing hardware.
 

Learn more: Apple may be working on its own antenna technology for the 5G 'iPhone 12'
 

Apple’s development of its own 5G antenna system makes a lot of sense, given that the company’s reliance on Qualcomm is likely to be temporary. Apple had only settled its ongoing lawsuit with Qualcomm in the first place because its then partner Intel wasn’t able to provide 5G chips for Apple in the time frame it wanted — according to Fast Company’s source, Apple still feels it’s “getting screwed on royalties” in its dealings with Qualcomm.

“The key is that consumers will think that 5G is the necessary function in 2H20. Therefore, iPhone models which will be sold at higher prices have to support 5G for winning more subsidies from mobile operators and consumers’ purchase intention.”

- Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple Analyst

Apple would go on to purchase Intel’s entire 5G modem business from it. This allowed Apple to take the groundwork that Intel had already done and continue to build on it for fully customized, in-house modems that could be designed from the ground up specifically for future iPhones, iPads, and other devices.

It may still be some time before that modem group is able to produce a product on par with Qualcomm’s, but it’s almost certainly on the horizon for Apple — and having its own custom 5G antennas to go with those eventual chips makes perfect sense.
 

Learn more: APPLE TIPPED TO CAPTURE TOP 5G SMARTPHONE SPOT IN 2020
 

Apple doesn’t just want to use its own antenna for industrial design reasons. In general, the company wants as few Qualcomm parts in the iPhone as possible. According to sources, Apple still feels it’s “getting screwed on royalties” by Qualcomm.

“Apple doesn’t just want to use its own antenna for industrial design reasons. In general, the company wants as few Qualcomm parts in the iPhone as possible. As our source put it, Apple still feels it’s “getting screwed on royalties” by Qualcomm.”

-anonymous source, Fast Company

Apple pays for Qualcomm parts (like the modem) and royalties for using Qualcomm’s intellectual property. This “double-dipping” was the basis of the two companies’ long court dispute that finally ended when they decided to make up and work together in 2019.

But bad feelings remain. Both sides know they’re in a marriage of convenience, and one that might not last much longer. At the same time it signed a truce with Qualcomm, Apple bought Intel’s modem business and is putting a lot of resources into building its own 5G modem, with an eye on using it to replace the Qualcomm modems in future iPhones.
 

In October 2019, it was reported that Apple had set a 2022 deadline to develop an in-house cellular modem for use in iPhone and iPad. This would incorporate not just the antenna, but the modem chip as well —very similar to what Qualcomm is rumored to possibly provide in the QTM 525 assembly.
 

It isn't yet clear what Apple has succeeded in developing. However, should the 2022 deadline be accurate, it is likely too early for Apple to have developed anything usable for a 5G modem and antenna suite for the "iPhone 12."
Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.