Apple talk about its 2020 plans to jump on 5G bandwagon, largely because that will be the first year the company’s mobile lineup will support 5G.
Ming-Chi Kuo, an Apple analyst known for his accurate predictions, wrote in a note to investors that he believes all three iPhones introduced in 2020 will support 5G.
Kuo gave three reasons for Apple’s decision to support 5G across its 2020 iPhone lineup:
- Apple now has the additional resources it needs for the move with the purchase of Intel’s smartphone modem business, a deal valued at US$1 billion. However, MacRumors pointed out that the 2020 iPhones will be using Qualcomm chips because Apple’s custom modem chips won’t be ready until 2021.
- Low-priced Android 5G phones, selling in the $249 to $349 range, will make 5G a must in the minds of consumers in the second half of 2020.
- 5G iPhone support could boost Apple’s augmented reality ecosystem.
“Apple iPhones would not be competitive in 2020 without 5G support,” observed San Jose, California-based Kevin Krewell, principal analyst at Tirias Research, a high-tech research and advisory firm.
“5G is going to roll out with or without Apple”
Two groups of frequencies are being used for 5G. There’s the “sub-6 group,” so named because it uses frequencies with wave lengths of less than 6 GHz. Then there’s the “millimeter wave group,” which uses frequencies with wave lengths of about one millimeter.
Apple will cater favor not only with carriers, some of which might support one or the other 5G flavor, but also with consumers who expect the most from a top-tier phone.
Although Apple will be getting into the 5G game later than some companies, that shouldn’t hurt its competitive advantage.