90 million iPhone 13 units rumored to support zippy 5G mmWave connectivity

The iPhone 12 lineup was the first in the history of the iconic handset to sport 5G connectivity. As such, the devices managed to connect with both sub 6GHz 5G airwaves and the more powerful mmWave 5G spectrum that delivers the faster 1Gbps+ signals allowing users to experience some of the future promise that 5G will bring. With one year of 5G connectivity under its belt, Apple is making some changes for this year's iPhone 13 series.

Digitimes Asia reports that Apple has added a new supplier of mmWave antenna in package (AiP) substrates for the upcoming 2021 5G iPhone 13 models expected to be unveiled and released this coming September. The mmWave signals might be faster, but they do not travel as far as the slower sub-6GHz airwaves do, and are prone to being blocked by anything from leaves to buildings and other structures.

With the addition of Austria's AT&S, Apple now has five suppliers of the substrates used for the mmWave 5G antennas used on the iPhone. The other manufacturers are Semco, LG Innotek, Kinsus Interconnect Technology and Unimircon Technology. AT&S has been a supplier of SLP (a substrate-like PCB) and SiP (System in Package) substrates for the iPhone and other Apple devices.

It is estimated that 60% of iPhone 13 models will support mmWave 5G this year which works out to approximately 90 million units. Each mmWave model will feature four AiP modules making it a good time to be a supplier of the necessary substrates. The aforementioned five suppliers are each expected to get 20% of Apple's business. Last year's iPhone 12 models were equipped with mmWave 5G antennas only on units earmarked for the United States, but that will change this year as more markets worldwide are buffing up their 5G connectivity.

The iPhone 13 series is expected to include four models including the iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. The Pro models should be equipped with 120Hz ProMotion AMOLED displays that will update 120 times per second providing buttery smooth scrolling and animation. Thanks to the LTPO backplane technology, the refresh rate will vary depending on the on-screen content. This will prevent the batteries from draining from the constant refreshing of the display.

All four iPhone 13 models are said to provide sensor-shift stabilization for more stable and less shaky videos. With this feature, the adjustment creating the stabilization is made on the camera sensors instead of the lenses. And cosmetically speaking, the notch will not be as wide and the non-Pro models should employ a different diagonal design for the rear cameras in addition to offering some new color options.

A previous leak reportedly revealed higher battery capacities for the new models. And of course, all four models will be powered by the A15 Bionic chipset produced by TSMC using its enhanced 5nm process node.

Some of the new iPhone features we were hoping to see on the latest version of the device this year will be on the iPhone 14 series in 2022 according to TF International's Ming-Chi Kuo. That would include the return of Touch ID in the form of an under-screen fingerprint scanner for the Pro models. We also could see two 6.1-inch and two 6.7-inch iPhone 14 versions next year and the breakdown could look something like this:

This would keep the same setup with two Pro and two non-Pro variants. Apple is said to be working on a 48MP wide camera for the 2022 Pro handsets.