The iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro are not 5G-enabled smartphones, which surprised no one when they launched in September 2019. However, given that Samsung's Galaxy S20 series just launched with 5G as standard, we expect the iPhone 12 to do so as well. However, based on new predictions from respected Apple analysts, there are probably severe limitations.

Ming-Chi Kuo (via 9to5Mac) reports that the iPhone 12 will not support 2x2 MIMO uplinks. For those of us who aren't familiar with the technical terminology, it is a type of signal amplifier that Apple is expected to use to bring 5G capabilities to the 2020 iPhone.

Kuo initially expected Apple to have six of these amplifiers on board, giving WIN SEMI and Broadcom manufacturers a lot of business. However, a veteran Apple analyst has updated this prediction, stating that there will now be only one or two amplifiers and that they will not be 2x2 MIMI types.

This follows news that Apple will manufacture its own 5G antennas, apparently because it had planned to use Qualcomm modules but decided they were too bulky for the company's thin phone designs.

Oddly enough, however, despite this being a downgrade on paper, Apple may have made a very smart decision: 5G networks are still in their infancy and are only slowly being rolled out in very limited areas of the UK and major US cities. These networks are primarily based on 4G technology, so at least for the time being, more antennas are not likely to improve speeds that much.

If Apple's plan to use its own antennas does not work, it will not be left out to dry. The company apparently hasn't completely cut ties with Qualcomm and intends to go back to Qualcomm if it can't get the antenna working by some point this summer.