2018 iPhones to feature upgraded antenna design for faster LTE speeds

Now that the 2017 iPhone’s have been released, we have started to see a steady supply of rumors for next years handsets. The latest is a new report from Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities who speculates that the 2018 iPhones will have an improved antenna design, yielding increased speeds for users.

Antenna design upgrade a key factor in anticipated boost to LTE transmission speed in new 2H18F iPhone models. As a LTE antenna FPCB material, LCP is superior to PI in properties related to high-frequency, thermal performance and moisture resistance. We predict 2H18 new iPhones will be equipped with two LCP LTE antenna modules same as iPhone X or more, but with higher specs to support 4×4 MIMO standards.

These new antenna modules will finally make the jump from the current 2×2 MIMO setup, to 4×4. MIMO, or multiple-in multiple-out, is frequently seen in home routers, and has the potential to increase LTE speeds dramatically. By doubling the number of data paths, speeds would be faster without having to make the jump to 5G.

Currently, a number of high-end Android handsets support 4×4 MIMO, while the iPhone lags behind.

Recently, another report from KGI came out that Apple was working with Intel to support the upcoming 5G network on future iPhones.

Source: MacRumors