Kuo: new iPhones and iPads to switch to modified polyamide antennae

Upcoming new iPhones and iPads are expected to switch from two upper antennae and two lower antennae made from LCP to a single Modified PI (MPI) material and liquid crystal polymer (LCP) for the upper antenna and three MPI assemblies for the lower antenna.

That’s according to reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of TF Securities, who in a new note to clients obtained by AppleInsider reiterated his previous prediction that the iPhone models released in 2019 and new iPad Pros in late 2019 to early 2020 will adopt new antenna tech.

Here’s an excerpt from the research note:

We believe that the liquid crystal polymer antenna limits the iPhone XS Max/XS/XR’s RF performance in some cases because of production issues even though LCP theoretically has advantages for high-frequency RF transmission.

The current iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR models use six LCP antennae.

AppleInsider has more:

These changes could cause an effect on pricing. Kuo posits that if 2019 iPhone shipments are about the same year on year, the dollar content of the new antennae will grow between 10-20%. The upper antenna costs more than the lower antenna, even though MPI is more affordable, due to the more complex design of the upper antenna.

Kuo previously said that updated 11 and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models would enter mass production between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020, sporting flexible circuit boards using LCP technology.