A new report out of the United Kingdom suggests that the upcoming iPhone 12 range of smartphones – set to be announced tomorrow – could face “serious” connectivity issues.
The issue relates to 5G technology, and insiders suggest that the iPhone 12 models won’t include sufficient modems to connect to the 700MHz 5G band. These lower-spectrum bands are needed to penetrate walls and buildings and offer 5G connectivity both indoors and out.
Due to the built-up nature of the UK, 700MHz 5G band is expected to be the most common in the UK, and thus Apple’s technology may not work as expected in the country on release.
Principal analyst at Assembly, Matthew Howett, said: “If it doesn’t support 700MHz then you end up with coverage problems. The spectrum bands that the iPhone works on are crucially important.”
If Apple does not make changes to the iPhone 12 to accommodate the UK market, it’s likely that only one carrier – Three – will be able to serve customers over 5G with iPhone 12.
Three is a network that has acquired a large amount of 5G spectrum, and so would perform better over rivals such as EE, Vodafone, and O2. The controversy could follow the launch of the iPhone 5 back in 2012, where only one carrier – EE – had enough coverage to power them.
What’s important to note is that the rollout of 5G technology in the UK is still in its infancy, and so most customers who purchase a new iPhone 12 are unlikely to use 5G from launch.
Has this news changed your opinion of the iPhone 12? Let us know and check back soon for more.