The next-gen iPhone will boast “more flexible SiP battery modules and LCP antenna modules,” backing up previous rumors that it will come with a new, improved battery and bring new ultra-speedy mmWave 5G to new countries.
A report published Thursday by Digitimes noted that these are two of the big changes expected for this year’s iPhone refresh. Other than this, the iPhone 13 (or whatever Apple opts to call it) will reportedly “see few changes.” Fortunately, from the sound of things that might include pricing.
New battery, faster 5G for many users
TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported back in March that the new iPhone will feature a superior battery. “The new 2H21 iPhone models feature a larger battery capacity than the iPhone 12 series, thanks to the space-saving design of many components,” Kuo wrote. “Hence, the new 2H21 iPhone models are also slightly heavier than the iPhone 12.”
Today’s report doesn’t provide any additional details of the battery. However, the fact that Apple is rethinking the battery module on a phone that’s otherwise the same as last year’s iPhone suggests that this is one area Apple’s thinking about.
Meanwhile, the reference to LCP (liquid crystal polymer)-based flexible PCBs likely refers to the tech that is used in the 5G iPhones’ mmWave antenna modules. While last year’s US iPhones packed the faster mmWave iPhones able to achieve 5G download speeds of up to 5 Gbps, the rest of the world got the slower Sub-6GHz 5G which boasts download speeds of up to 900 Mbps. This year’s iPhone will reportedly make ultra-speedy mmWave 5G standard.
There’s no word on exact pricing for this year’s iPhones from today’s Digitimes report. But it does note that:
“The materials and circuit designs of SLP mainboards for new iPhones reportedly will not be significantly revised, compared to 2020 models, and therefore unit prices and gross margins for such boards will not hike notably, the sources said.”
There is a chance that other components could bring up the price. But, at least based on this reference, it seems Apple could keep the same (or very similar) pricing to last year.
Other changes for the iPhone 13
There are unlikely to be major redesigns for this year’s iPhone. This has been suggested by recent dummy units showing the incremental changes of the next-gen iPhones. It’s also in keeping with Apple’s history of alternating bigger redesigns with smaller, more evolutionary updates. There are some exciting upgrades expected this year, though. The new phones will include a new A15 chip, smaller notch, buttery smooth ProMotion display, new matte black color option, LiDAR on all models and a possible 1TB storage option. It is also possible that there will be the return of Touch ID — albeit this time located inside the iPhone display.
What are you most excited about this year? Which of these features would be the biggest deal to you? Let us know your iPhone wishlist in the comments below.
Source: Digitimes
0 Comments