Apple to Launch Its First 5G Phone in 2020, Reports

It was revealed earlier that Apple or Samsung would not be the first to launch a consumer 5G smartphone. Now, however, reports have emerged, saying that Apple would be launching its first 5G-connectivity device in 2020 only. Compared to the official and non-official timelines set by other manufacturers, the launch time of Apple 5G phones is very late. The sources also hint the use of an Intel 5G modem on an upcoming device from Apple. According to additional information provided by the sources, the modems were found in 2020 batch of Apple iPhone devices.

Of course, there has been no confirmation from Apple regarding this. Fast Company, which brought this to the front, had requested comment from Apple but the company has declined the request. The source also covers some information about the internal discussions at Apple. As of now, for prototyping purposes, the company is using the Intel 8060 chips. However, Apple is apparently facing some ‘heat dissipation’ issues in the testing process, forcing the trillion-dollar company to turn to alternatives. Needless to say, provided the current scenario, Apple won’t be approaching Qualcomm for the chips.

The sources have added that MediaTek is being approached for backup chips. It should be noted that the company would not be running towards MediaTek as the major provider. If Intel is not able to supply enough chips, MediaTek would be the next option. It does not come as a surprise that Apple is taking one more year to launch a 5G-powered device. The company has not been the first when it comes to shifting towards new cellular technologies. Apple was one of the last big companies to make the shift to LTE, for instance. Doing so, Apple has been able to deploy the best experience in terms of performance, stability and of course the battery consumption.