14 DAY TRIAL // This year’s iPhone generation is unlikely to feature any major design changes, but on the other hand, Apple seems to be focusing more on upgrades under the hood.
According to the most recent investor note issued by top Apple analyst Ming Chi Kuo, the 2019 iPhones will sport a new antenna structure coming as a result of the company switching to new suppliers and tech.
In other words, Apple could give up on the liquid crystal polymer (LCP) antenna system that it currently uses on the 2018 iPhone lineup and switch to a modified-PI antenna structure.
Technically speaking, the new system could allow for substantial improvements in terms of indoor navigation, as per 9to5mac, albeit it’s worth knowing that antenna costs could also be increased by as much as 20 percent.
Three iPhones coming this year
This doesn’t necessarily mean that the iPhone would become more expensive, and Kuo notes that there’s a chance the switch would only be temporary, with the 2020 generation to return to the existing configuration.
Apple is planning to step away from its collaboration with Career and sign deals with other suppliers. Career will thus lose contracts not only for the iPhone, but also for the iPad and the Apple Watch.
This temporary switch to a modified-PI antenna design shouldn’t generate any difference in terms of 4G performance. However, the return to the original LCP system will take place at a time when Apple plans to launch the very first 5G iPhone using modems designed by Qualcomm and Samsung.
Apple is expected to launch three different iPhone models this year, all successors to the 2018 lineup. The 2019 iPhone generation will be the last one to include an LCD version, as Apple will make the full switch to OLED beginning with the 2020 series.