Prolific analyst now believes iPhone 12 won't have 2x2 MIMO uplink support

iPhone teardown (Image credit: iFixit)

What you need to know

Ming-Chi Kuo previously said he expected 2x2 MIMO uplink to be present.
Now he's reportedly changed his tune.
If he's right the iPhone won't be able to upload data over 5G as quickly.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is one of the most prolific when it comes to picking out information from the supply chain and working out exactly what it means. Towards the middle of last year, he said that he expected the 5G capabilities of iPhone 12 to benefit both WIN SMI and Broadcom because it would use six power amplifiers. Now, he says that isn't the case.

According to a new 9to5Mac post, Kuo made the admission in his "latest report" although it isn't clear exactly where that report was obtained. But we're told it says that iPhone 12 will include just a couple of amplifiers at the most, with the 2x2 MIMO uplink that WIN SEMI and Broadcom were set to benefit from no longer happening.

So what does that mean? Arguably, very little indeed. The addition of 2x2 MIMO uplink would theoretically allow those with 5G signals to upload data more quickly. But with 5G still very much in its infancy, it's debatable whether anyone would really benefit from it, let along notice the difference during use.

We've reached out to TF Securities for clarification on Kuo's comments and will update this post when we hear something back.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.