iPhone 12: they will all have 5G, and a smaller Notch
5G on the iPhone is the top priority of Apple’s partner manufacturers. And the chip has become so compact that it leaves room for batteries and other components. But this will not lead to an increase in prices for users.
Just good news today. All 4 variants of the iPhone 12 arriving after the summer will support 5G, although the pricing scheme will remain comparable to the current one. In addition, the Notch will be smaller.
There are practically no doubts about the presence of 5G and the LiDAR scanner; the most interesting aspect of the new devices, however, will be the reduced Notch. According to Bloomberg, the black portion removed from the display will amount to two thirds of the current extension. This means more pixels to devote to entertainment, content and productivity.
No bloodletting for users, or rather, bloodletting will remain in the parameters that we already know. According to a note to investors released by Ming-Chi Kuo last December, in fact, although Apple will face increases in production costs from $ 30 to $ 100, depending on the type of chip used, this will not affect the portfolio. of customers.
Thanks to a generalized reduction in expenses in the supply chains, the prices for the end user should remain roughly in line with today’s prices; an example of this is the abandonment of the so-called non-recurring engineering for the metal frame of the new iPhones; it is a one-off spending chapter that Apple turns to manufacturers to research, design, develop and test a new component. Much of the research and testing phase will be absorbed internally: this will give greater control to the apple, and above all will guarantee a significant reduction in costs. Even for users.
Meanwhile, the top priority for Qualcomm is the launch of the iPhone with 5G functionality. And the chip that will make compatibility with the latest generation of cellular networks possible becomes even smaller, which means that there will be more space for batteries and other components.
In the framework of the Snapdragon Tech Summit that was held in the pre-pandemic era, Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon said that “the number one priority of the relationship with Apple is how to launch their phone as soon as possible. This is the priority . ” And although the word “5G” is not formally uttered, the reference is evident.
On the other hand, the commitment required will not be park. Apple does not intend to make use of a turnkey solution: the idea is to combine the Qualcomm modem with circuitry and antennas completely developed at home. A joint effort that has suffered the effects of the lawsuit on patents in recent months, which ended with a billionaire check from the apple.
“We reconciled perhaps a little too late,” Amon said, “compared to what we would both have wished, and I think we are working to make up for all the lost time, and thus take advantage of all that has been done so far. intent to launch an iPhone with 5G, as expected. ”
One of the key partners in the production of the iPhone 12 5G chip, Murata Manufacturing, managed to create an “ultra-compact version” of a fundamental electronic component. According to what we read on the Nikkei, they managed to reduce the capacitors to one fifth of the previous dimensions, however tenfold the energy storage capacity.
Let’s talk about trinkets with dimensions between 0.25mm and 0.125mm that will save valuable space on the logic board to be donated to other components. Maybe to the 3D processing circuitry, or to the battery. In any case, every cubic millimeter recovered is also manna from heaven.
