The 5G will also arrive on the iPhone, but only in 2020 and thanks to modems made by Qualcomm. The super-fast network will be present only on the top of the range
No 5G on iPhones 2019: the fast data connection will arrive on the bitten apple's smartphones only from the second half of 2020. And only on high-end devices, while you'll have to wait until 2021 to have a mid-range iPhone with integrated 5G modem.
These are the latest news coming from China, where several analysts and leakers are almost certain that Apple has no intention of following Android smartphone makers in their race for 5G compatibility. Recall that Samsung, LG and OnePlus already have in their catalog devices capable of using the new fast data network. Apple, on the other hand, seems to want to wait a while and also understand how the trade dispute between the U.S. and China, which led U.S. President Donald Trump to issue the famous trade blockade against Huawei, will end up. The Chinese electronics giant, in fact, is one of the global players in the 5G race and its technology is among the most widely used by phone operators halfway around the world.
Apple iPhone 5G with Qualcomm's modem
Note in the news: when the first 5G-compatible Apple smartphones arrive in 2020, they will not feature a modem built in-house by Apple but a Qualcomm chip. According to Chinese analyst Guo Mingxi, Apple will launch its first 5G chip no earlier than 2022-23. Before that date, however, it will develop the modem together with Qualcomm and Broadcom, and a product specifically for iPhones. The supply of 5G modems by Qualcomm, on the other hand, was also foreseen by the out-of-court settlement that last April closed the lawsuit filed by Qualcomm against Apple for the violation of several patents. The settlement included a hefty (but never disclosed) compensation from Apple, which, in return, receives a guaranteed supply of 5G modems for at least six years.
iPhone 2020: all with OLED screen
From what emerges from reports coming from China, the 2019 iPhones will be three: two with OLED screen (5.8 and 6.5 inches) and one with LCD screen (at 6.1 inches). This configuration, however, will change in 2020 when Apple will have on the market three smartphones with OLED screen: one 5.4-inch, one 6.1-inch and one 6.7-inch.
iPhone 5G: only on the top of the range
Still according to the latest rumors, finally, starting from the second half of 2020 the 5.4- and 6.7-inch iPhones will integrate the 5G modem, while the 6.1-inch model will not. Starting in 2021, however, all iPhones will be 5G compatible.