Apple gearing up for iPhone 13 mmWave 5G demand, says Digitimes

“Apple is expected to sharply boost the ratio of 5G mmWave devices to 60% of its new iPhone lineup in 2021”

What you need to know

Apple has reportedly added another substrate supplier to its iPhone 13 supply chain.
Digitimes says 60% of iPhone 13 models sold will feature faster mmWave 5G.
Multiple previous reports Apple will expand support for the faster version of 5G with its next iPhone.

A new report from Digitimes echoes previous indications Apple will expand support for faster mmWave 5G with the iPhone 13, expected to debut later this year.

The report states:

Apple reportedly has enlisted AT&S as a new supplier of BT-based AiP (antenna in package) substrates for new 5G mmWave iPhones to be released later in the year, expanding to five the number of suppliers of the substrates, according to industry sources.

The Austria-based maker, long a supplier of SLP (substrate-like PCB) mainboards and SiP (system in package) substrates for iPhones and other Apple devices, will join Semco, LG Innotek, Kinsus Interconnect Technology and Unimircon Technology to supply BT AiP substrates for the upcoming 5G mmWave iPhones, the sources said.

Digitimes says that 60% of iPhone 13 models sold could feature the faster variant of 5G, known as mmWave, currently only available to customers in the United States. Multiple previous reports indicate Apple is planning to expand support for mmWave. Digitimes has previously reported this as well as Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo, from our report in April:

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 support for mmWave 5G may come to Canada, Japan, Australia, and “major European mobile operators”.