Super-fast mmWave 5G coming to more countries with iPhone 13, says Kuo

5g Iphone
5g Iphone (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

  • A new report says Apple will bring more mmWave 5G support with iPhone 13.
  • Ming-Chi Kuo says Australia, Japan, Canada, and major European carriers could all benefit.

A new report from highly-touted Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo says the iPhone 13 will bring support for the faster mmWave variant of 5G to multiple new countries.

In a note seen by iMore, Kuo states 5G coverage will increase significantly in the second half of 2021, particularly when it comes to mmWave 5G, which is much faster than Sub-6GHz.

Kuo says that the proportion of 5G mmWave in the iPhone will increase to around 55-60% compared to around 30-35% in the iPhone 12. The note says that Kuo believes mmWave 5G in the iPhone 13 will be supported in the U.S., as well as Canada, Japan, Australia, and by "major European mobile operators" significantly increasing the proportion of mmWave iPhone devices accordingly.

It follows previous reports about a big 5G boost coming to the iPhone 13. From January:

Taiwanese manufacturer Qiqi has been contracted by Apple to produce millimeter wave antennas for the iPhone 13. The company is also working with foreign telecoms to bring millimeter wave to more countries with its next iPhone lineup. The iPhone 12 lineup, which is the first to feature 5G connectivity, currently only offers millimeter wave in the United States.

In February, it was reported that Qualcomm's X60 modem would feature in the next iPhone, bringing vastly improved 5G speeds but also data aggregation that will allow the iPhone to use both mmWave and sub-6GHz bands simultaneously.

Over the weekend more images claiming to show a big change to the iPhone 13's notch surfaced, along with more reports that LTPO and a 120Hz display is coming to the device.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9