Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

New iPhone to bring 5G and faster internet in 2020, report says

Mobile operators are already switching on 5G networks

Andrew Griffin
Tuesday 18 June 2019 09:55 BST
Comments
The iPhone XS Max and the iPhone XS on display at the Apple Regent Street store during their launch on September 21, 2018 in London, England
The iPhone XS Max and the iPhone XS on display at the Apple Regent Street store during their launch on September 21, 2018 in London, England

A 5G iPhone is set to arrive next year, according to a report.

The new phone – almost certain to be released in September 2020 – will include updated hardware that allows it to connect to the new data network and allow for vastly improved internet speeds, according to usually reliable analyst Ming-chi Kuo.

The rollout of 5G has already begun in earnest: mobile carriers in a range of countries are busy rolling out their new networks, and a variety of phones companies have unveiled their first 5G phones.

But Apple is yet to announce one of its own, and it is has been unclear when the 5G iPhone might arrive.

It had long been rumoured to be releasing a 5G model in 2020.

But it had been expected to do so using Intel chips – until it announced a deal with competitor Qualcomm, when Intel said it would be shutting its 5G operations. Since then, it hasn't been clear how the new deals would affect plans for the 5G phone, which will rely on buying chips from Qualcomm to connect to the internet.

Eventually, Apple is expected to switch to making its own modems to connect to the internet, as it has done with many of the other chips found in the iPhone. But the 2020 model it is expected to use Qualcomm's hardware.

The report suggests that the technology will initially come to the more premium parts of the line – the equivalent of the current iPhone XS and XS Max, rather than the iPhone XR. The cheaper model will stay on the existing LTE network.

It also indicates that the two phones that will bring 5G will change in size. The one that will replace the XS is expected to get smaller, while the XS Max will get bigger, Kuo suggested.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in