With Samsung confirming that certain models of the Galaxy S10 will offer 5G, you may be wondering when a 5G iPhone will launch. Some sceptics believe you’re in for a long wait – but there are reasons to be cheerful, too, from sources such as respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who confidently expects all three late-2020 iPhones to support 5G, and from the news that Apple has acquired Intel’s smartphone modems business.
In this article we round up the leaks, rumours and patent activity that point to an imminent 5G iPhone launch, predicting the device’s release date and features. We also offer information about the progress of 5G adoption in the market at large, and the benefits that 5G will offer to iPhone userswhen Apple gets on board.
For more smartphone speculation, you can read about folding iPhone rumours and our thoughts on the 2019 iPhone update. If you’re more interested in the devices you can buy right now, have a look at our roundup of the best iPhone deals.
iPhone 5G release date
We expect three 5G-ready iPhones to be released in the second half of 2020.
The Galaxy S10 5G is on sale and the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G has been announced. But while other smartphone manufacturers continue to make 5G plans for 2019, it sounds like Apple won’t be ready to follow suit until 2020.
In 2018 it was reported that Apple was working on a 5G modem with Intel, but apparently insoluble connectivity problems cropped up in testing. Neither Intel (which has since quit the 5G arena, and sold the majority of its smartphone modem business to Apple) or later supplier candidate MediaTek would be able to supply 5G components for an autumn 2019 launch.
This may be disappointing, given the progress made by Apple’s competition, but a 2020 launch is a lot better than had been feared. Until Apple reached an agreement with Qualcomm, in fact, it was thought that Apple’s iPhone 5G might not arrive until 2021. UBS analyst Timothy Arcuri had told 9to5Mac at the beginning of April 2019 that Apple was targeting 2021 for the 5G iPhone release, and described even that as a “technical hurdle”.
There were a few reasons for the delay, but these have since been rectified. As a result, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple’s 5G iPhone will arrive in the second half of 2020.
In an April 2019 research note, reported by MacRumors, Kuo wrote: “Apple and Qualcomm’s end of patent dispute and entrance into a six-year licensing deal implies new 2H20 iPhone models will support 5G.” He reiterated this prediction in June 2019, writing: “The [new 2H20] 6.7in and 5.4in OLED iPhone models will likely support 5G.”
And on 28 July 2019 Kuo responded to the Intel modems acquisitions with a further research note in which he predicted that all three late-2020 iPhone models would support 5G.
“We now believe that all three new 2H20 iPhone models will support 5G for the following reasons. (1) Apple has more resource for developing the 5G iPhone after the acquisition of Intel baseband business. (2) We expect that the prices of 5G Android smartphones will decline to $249-349 in 2H20… iPhone models which will be sold at higher prices have to support 5G for winning more subsidies from mobile operators and consumers’ purchase intention. (3) Boosting 5G developments could benefit Apple’s AR ecosystem.”
Why is the 5G iPhone delayed?
There are a few reasons why Apple’s 5G iPhone has been delayed…
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