Apple is about to release the first 'superfast' 5G iPhone, insiders claim

02/17/2020

APPLE is secretly building its own "superfast" internet chips for the first iPhone 5G this year, according to a new report.

The Californian tech giant has lagged behind rivals like Samsung and Huawei when it comes to 5G – but that may soon change.

But this September, Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 12 with support for nippy 5G download speeds.

Many top phone makers have relied on 5G chips from a US tech giant called Qualcomm.

However, a new report by Fast Company claims this chip is simply too big for the iPhone 12.

So Apple is rumoured to be building its own slimmer 5G antenna instead.

5G is the next generation of mobile internet, expected to deliver blisteringly fast download speeds – changing the way we use our handsets forever.

In the USA, 5G is available in a number of cities on AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile.

EE, Vodafone and others have already launched in the UK, and they're seriously impressive.

The Sun's early testing on EE suggests max speeds in London of around 400Mbps, which is around 10 times what you'd typically get from 4G internet in the UK.

But to enjoy 5G, you'll need a special 5G phone contract – and not all UK and US networks offer those yet.

Importantly, your current phone contract probably doesn't support 5G internet, unless you've upgraded very recently.

The big catch is that you also need a smartphone with a 5G chip inside.

This 5G modem lets your phone connect to 5G phone networks – and without it, you're stuck on 4G.

That means even with a 5G SIM card, your phone still can't access the right network without the correct chip inside.

As these networks start to come online in more cities, customers will be hunting for 5G phones.

That's why Apple has been consistently reported as working on a 5G iPhone.

"We believe Apple [is] going aggressive after 5G and can't risk missing out on consumers on this segment of the market," said Dan Ives, expert analyst at Wedbush Securities, speaking to The Sun last year.

5G internet – what is it?

Here’s what you need to know…

5G is the next generation of mobile phone networks
Just like 4G made your mobile internet faster and more reliable compared to 3G, 5G will do the same again
Phone networks across the UK are currently scrambling to introduce 5G phone speeds for Brits
Typical 4G speeds today will typically fall between 50Mbps and 100Mbps
But early 5G speeds will raise this bar to several hundred megabits-per-second
And once 5G networks are advanced, you’ll expect to enjoy gigabit-per-second speeds
However, you’ll need to upgrade your phone plan to a 5G tariff
Also, not all smartphones support 5G internet – they’ll need to have a 5G-ready modem inside
We’re only now starting to see 5G smartphones released in 2019 and 2020, so older phones won’t support the new speeds
Many top phone makers have committed to making (or already launched) 5G-ready smartphones
These include Samsung, Huawei, OnePlus, LG and Oppo

According to the Fast Company report, Apple hasn't decided whether it will use its own 5G antenna or a thicker Qualcomm one.

Apple and Qualcomm have been locked in legal battles for years, so the iPhone maker will be keen to reduce its reliance on outsiders.

And the result could be a slimmer 5G iPhone than rivals can offer.

Last summer, Apple also purchased Intel's entire 5G modem business, giving it a solid foundation for its own svelte antenna.

The bad news is that Apple hasn't confirmed that an iPhone 12 exists, so take all leaks and rumours with due caution for now.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 12 in September 2020.

Find out why conspiracy theories about 5G giving you cancer are wrong.

EE now has 5G in over 50 places across the UK – here’s the full list.

And read about all the Samsung Galaxy S20 features your iPhone doesn't have.

Will you be upgrading to a 5G phone and contract this year? Let us know in the comments!

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