The iPhone 12 will be the first phone in Apple's history to support 5G, and all four models are expected to use that network. However, according to a new report, only one of the new iPhone 12 models will support the fastest 5G standard.

According to Fast Company, only the iPhone 12 Pro Max offers mmWave 5G, which offers the fastest download speeds in our tests and is available through Verizon's 5G network in the US.

Fast Company sources say that only the largest phones in the new lineup have room for the special antenna needed to connect to the mmWave network and the larger battery needed to compensate for battery drain.

Apple was previously rumored to offer mwWave 5G on the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max, and 5G below 6Ghz on the cheaper iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Max. However, it now appears that only the iPhone 12 Pro Max will offer mmWave.

mmWave provided an astounding 1Gbps download in some of our 5G tests, but it also has limited range and requires a line of sight to nearby nodes.

In the U.S., Verizon is the leader in terms of mmWave 5G deployment; AT&T and T-Mobile have so far focused primarily on sub-6 GHz 5G. Sub-6GHz 5G has greater range than mmWave, but much slower speeds.

Another report released this week also seems to confirm what Fast Company is saying. According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via 9to5Mac), Apple will ship only 4 to 6 million iPhone 12 units with mmWave modems this year. This is less than the "market consensus of 10 to 20 million units."

According to Kuo, COVID-19 limits the number of 5G millimeter wave base stations worldwide. Therefore, it makes sense for Apple to reduce the number of iPhone 12 models that support millimeter wave 5G.

The iPhone 12 is expected to launch in October of this year, but Apple has already confirmed a delay of several weeks. However, it is not clear when Apple will hold the event.