Analyst suggests that upcoming iPhones will have new antenna material

The well-known analyst (and whistleblower of future Apple technologies) Ming Chi Kuo spoke again about the next line of iPhones, after predicting improvements in the Face ID of gadgets This time, Kuo suggested that Ma replace the liquid crystal polymer (LCP) by modified polyamide (MPI) on future phones.

Apple currently uses six LCP antennas on the XS, XS Max and XR iPhones. According to the analyst, the company plans to reduce this number to two and implement another four MPI antennas. Among the benefits of moving to this material, the company would have more bargaining power over its LCP suppliers, increasing from two to five potential suppliers; In addition, the process of producing MPI is more reliable, besides rendering more than LCP and allowing the introduction of flexible printed circuit boards.

Kuo also added that the two LCP antennas on the upcoming iPhones will be provided exclusively by a Japanese company, thanks to their better integration capability. According to him, MPI and LCP antennas will still be used in a variety of devices, as the composite and design of these materials is complex and challenges the requirements of installation and transition to 5G in the United States.

More specifically, LCP is a flexible organic substrate that can be used as a dielectric product, which makes it desirable for antenna production. It behaves consistently across the radio frequency range and has a very low loss.

For the average consumer, this possible change should not result in significant changes. As the analyst said, both materials are involved in the deployment of 5G technology and MPI is growing at a fast pace though LCP has offered more advantages in this area. However, it is likely that the first iPhones with support for 5G networks will only appear in 2020.

via AppleInsider