PC Magazine - USA (2019-12)

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he iPhone 11 is here, and it doesn’t have

5G. For a year now, we’ve been expecting

5G to arrive in the 2020 iPhone models,

and we still expect that. Whether that means

delaying your iPhone purchase is up to you.

It’s important to understand that in September

2020, when the 5G iPhone is likely to come out,

5G in the US will be considerably less of a mess

than it is right now. At the moment, 5G coverage

is very limited, and no phone can handle all of the

kinds of 5G available in the US. That’s likely to

shake out by next year, making 2020 the prime

time for a 5G iPhone.

If Apple sticks with the 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max

structure and releases three iPhones next year, I

expect that only the more expensive two will have

5G. The 5G modems will still be premium

components, and for the past two years Apple has

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them fewer modem capabilities (leaving out 4x4

MIMO antennas). That will probably continue

next year, too.

WHY 2020 AND NOT 2019

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When Is the 5G iPhone

Coming?

Sascha Segan is the

lead mobile analyst

for PC Magazine. His

commentary has

also appeared on Fox

News, CNBC, CNN, and

various radio stations

and newspapers

around the world.

COMMENTARY