Not sure if anyone have noticed this, but it looks like that iPhone 17 Pro / Max models sold in certain (but not all) countries outside the U.S. have exactly the same mmWave cutout on the top edge as U.S. models.
We all know U.S. iPhone models have that iconic "cutout" to accommodate the mmWave antenna, but...
From Apple's Canadian website (cutout yes✅):
Apple's Japanese website (cutout yes✅):
However, not all iPhone models have this cutout:
Apple's Austrialian website (cutout no❌):
Apple's Chinese website (cutout no❌):
According to Apple's technical specs across their regional websites, only U.S. iPhone models support mmWave; hence MacRumors' reportage. But, if, say, Canadian iPhones don't have mmWave, why is there a cutout? One could argue that the cutout on models outside the U.S. is just an "decoration" with no real underlying hardware, but if this is the case, why Austrailian and Chinese iPhones don't have this cutout?
My personal speculation is that non-U.S. models that have the cutout actually have the hardware necessary for mmWave support; they are just not being activated, and that Apple may have plans to add mmWave support via software updates for these models later. If so, that would be both an interesting and exciting development.
What do you think? Do iPhone 17 Pro/Max series sold in your country have this cutout?
We all know U.S. iPhone models have that iconic "cutout" to accommodate the mmWave antenna, but...
From Apple's Canadian website (cutout yes✅):
Apple's Japanese website (cutout yes✅):
However, not all iPhone models have this cutout:
Apple's Austrialian website (cutout no❌):
Apple's Chinese website (cutout no❌):
According to Apple's technical specs across their regional websites, only U.S. iPhone models support mmWave; hence MacRumors' reportage. But, if, say, Canadian iPhones don't have mmWave, why is there a cutout? One could argue that the cutout on models outside the U.S. is just an "decoration" with no real underlying hardware, but if this is the case, why Austrailian and Chinese iPhones don't have this cutout?
My personal speculation is that non-U.S. models that have the cutout actually have the hardware necessary for mmWave support; they are just not being activated, and that Apple may have plans to add mmWave support via software updates for these models later. If so, that would be both an interesting and exciting development.
What do you think? Do iPhone 17 Pro/Max series sold in your country have this cutout?
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