Apple will use a new antenna on its 2019 iPhones, according to a new report.
Popular Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed to MacRumors that the company was planning to use modified-PI material, replacing the liquid crystal polymer material used presently.
According to Kuo, the liquid crystal polymer material limits the radio frequency performance of the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, because of limitations and issues in production.
The modified-PI material, on the other hand, offers similar performance to the liquid crystal polymer material, on top of the benefits of it being cheaper and easier to manufacture.
Although the company is switching to the MPI material for this year’s iPhones, the analyst expects Apple to return to the liquid crystal polymer material in 2020 when it begins to ship iPhones with 5G antennas, as the production issues that limit the performance will be fixed by then. Switching to MPI is simply a temporary measure to maximize production yield.
iPad Pro will feature existing antenna technology
In other news, it’s expected that Apple will continue to use the liquid crystal polymer material in its iPad models, including new Pro models expected in the fourth quarter of 2109.
Kuo previously reported that Apple would release two new iPad Pro models this year, one with an 11-inch screen size and one with a 12.9-inch screen size.
Production on these models will begin in the fourth quarter of this year, and it’s expected Apple will replicate the success of 2018’s iPad Pro release with a late-October keynote speech to unveil the iPads.
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