Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
While I'm looking forward to 5G, it's not the "must have" upgrade that 3G to 4G LTE was. I'm not exactly hurting for faster speed on my mobile.

5G will have huge impact on mobile devices. Everything will be faster and better, including good old phone calls. However, 5G network coverage will be very limited in the beginning so the benefits might questionable.
 
Intel is a half step behind Qualcomm, this time it shows.
That's not really true. What Qualcomm doesn't say is that the solution they are bringing to market in 2019 is a single-mode chipset which only does 5G, i.e. each phone using their solution needs two chipsets to support 5G and the existing standards (which will stick around for a long time since 5G coverage will be limited). This is expensive and uses more energy, which is why you will only see this solution in a small number of high-end phones.

Intel has decided to skip this step and directly bring a multi-mode chipset (the XMM8160) to market which supports both 5G and the existing standards, which means more efficiency and lower cost and allows its use in mainstream models. That chipset will be available to OEMs in late 2019, which means the first devices will ship in 2020. There won't be a lot of 5G coverage before then anyway.
 
We had a ton of responses like that about 4G back in 2010 and 2011: "3G is good enough for a phone, no need for anything faster"

Yes, but that was jumping from 7.2/14.4Mbps to 90Mbps or whatever.
 
  • Like
Reactions: raybo
Does it really matter if all phone manufacturers have a 5G ready phone if the 5G infrastructure itself is nowhere near ready? At least not in UK.
Qualcomm, time to face it that you lost Apple and move on.
 
That's not really true. What Qualcomm doesn't say is that the solution they are bringing to market in 2019 is a single-mode chipset which only does 5G, i.e. each phone using their solution needs two chipsets to support 5G and the existing standards (which will stick around for a long time since 5G coverage will be limited). This is expensive and uses more energy, which is why you will only see this solution in a small number of high-end phones.

Intel has decided to skip this step and directly bring a multi-mode chipset (the XMM8160) to market which supports both 5G and the existing standards, which means more efficiency and lower cost and allows its use in mainstream models. That chipset will be available to OEMs in late 2019, which means the first devices will ship in 2020. There won't be a lot of 5G coverage before then anyway.

Lol that’s a kind of crucial detail.
 
4G networks barely cover the majority of regional places here in Australia. There’s really not going to be much of a use for a 5G iPhone in 2020, let alone 2019, if its only simply in minute areas. Happy to wait, but then again I’m not in the U.S.
 
5G networks are going to take a while for the cell phone companies to implement. The Carriers are not going to give away 5G for free either. 5G 2.0 is probably going to better. Its still going to be 3 or 4 years before a lot of people are going to cutting off their home internet away.
 
That's not really true. What Qualcomm doesn't say is that the solution they are bringing to market in 2019 is a single-mode chipset which only does 5G, i.e. each phone using their solution needs two chipsets to support 5G and the existing standards (which will stick around for a long time since 5G coverage will be limited). This is expensive and uses more energy, which is why you will only see this solution in a small number of high-end phones.

Intel has decided to skip this step and directly bring a multi-mode chipset (the XMM8160) to market which supports both 5G and the existing standards, which means more efficiency and lower cost and allows its use in mainstream models. That chipset will be available to OEMs in late 2019, which means the first devices will ship in 2020. There won't be a lot of 5G coverage before then anyway.

Qualcomm's solution is a 7nm chip coming in 2019 while Intel is 10nm in 2020. By 2020, TSMC will be fabbing QCOM modems with 7nm+ on EUV.

If Apple wants to use their in-house developed LTE modem and pair it with Qualcomm 5G modem, the solution is perfect. This is a strategic decision by Qualcomm to do a single-mode 5G modem.

There won't be a lot of 5G coverage in North America, but in leading countries like China and South Korea, 5G is primed to go.
 
The problem for Apple is that even if they could release 5G in 2019, they won't fearing the backlash from X, XR, XS, XS Max owners who had just spent a fortune! They might delay as long as possible.
 
If it was reversed and Apple was rolling them out first everyone would be pumping up Apple like crazy..........

And the same people bashing it would be in line buying the first 5g phones if Apple had them........

Anyone that thinks 5G will not be a game changer especially for people cutting the cord at home is crazy....
 
  • Like
Reactions: groadyho and mi7chy
Apple is reportedly waiting until at least 2020 to roll out next-generation 5G cellular data technology in its iPhone lineup, but according to Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon, "every" Android handset manufacturer will have a flagship phone with 5G support across U.S. carriers by the end of next year, reports CNET.

Apple is said to be targeting Intel for the iPhone that won't enter mass production the second half of 2019, which means it won't start appearing in dices devices until the first half of 2020.​

I am happy to wait for an iPhone with 5G until 2022. The networks would've worked out the kinks by then, hopefully.

I want full access to 4G/LTE now - in metro areas and along major highways and rural tourist spots. Basically, everywhere an electric tower is present and the towns are serviced by electricity and gas.

While I have decent to very good 4G/LTE coverage in the metro area I live, the coverage inside my house is supplemented with WiFi!

Dear Cellular providers:

- Conquer the 4G/LTE coverage first, then see what you can do with 5G.

- The demands of cellphone use are well met by a 100% (or less by up to ~20%) coverage/strength of the 4G/LTE spectrum - provide that first.

- Best use of 5G will be in home broadband service - about a decade or half away. It is obvious that supplanting ISPs is the goal of 5G cellular companies.

- The ISPs are not going to lose their role without putting up a stiff fight. They will provide Gigabit service in quick time (like it exists in Korea, Europe, etc.) at reasonable costs, just to hold on to their current base. A win for the consumers.

According to Deloitte, China already has 350,000 5G cell sites.

China will not be able to cover its people with 5G - it barely provides 3G and 4G/LTE to the entire nation now. It is hardly an advanced nation when cellular coverage is concerned - though it is progressing faster than the USA in this field.

Anyway, what is the purpose of having the broadband/cellular infrastructure without the freedom to use it - too much censorship in the Red countries.
 
Last edited:
Qualcomm's solution is a 7nm chip coming in 2019 while Intel is 10nm in 2020. By 2020, TSMC will be fabbing QCOM modems with 7nm+ on EUV.
For one, TSMC's "7mm" node is roughly equivalent to Intel's 10mm node. But more importantly, in the iPhone the modem chipset will be paired with Apple's own CPU anyway, so what Qualcomm does with their CPU isn't really that interesting for Apple.
If Apple wants to use their in-house developed LTE modem and pair it with Qualcomm 5G modem, the solution is perfect.
Except that it won't scale to large numbers of devices because it is much too expensive to use two modem chipsets.
This is a strategic decision by Qualcomm to do a single-mode 5G modem.
It's a strategic decision alright ... they are bringing a half-baked solution to the market for the bragging rights.
There won't be a lot of 5G coverage in North America, but in leading countries like China and South Korea, 5G is primed to go.
"Primed to go" doesn't mean deployed.
 
As long as infrastructure is lacking there will be no difference that a person on a train or bus cares about.
 
China will not be able to cover its people with 5G - it barely provides 3G and 4G/LTE to the entire nation now. It is hardly an advanced nation when cellular coverage is concerned - though it is progressing faster than the USA in this field.

Anyway, what is the purpose of having the broadband/cellular infrastructure without the freedom to use it - too much censorship in the Red countries.

I just got back from a three week trip to the southern part of China and I had full LTE bars everywhere, even in the rural villages. Never once did I see 4G or EDGE or less than 4 full bars of signal, it was just LTE everywhere. I was thoroughly impressed with how frequent a cell antennae was placed throughout my entire trip there. I'm talking fields of farms and antennae just placed every few farms. In the SF Bay Area, the coverage and reception(Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile) is straight garbage compared to what I got in China.
 
Everybody will have 5G-capable phones by late 2019 but no 5G network to connect to - funny.

This industry is short on ideas, resorting on using stuff that isn't ready for prime time to sell their products.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Heineken
I just got back from a three week trip to the southern part of China and I had full LTE bars everywhere, even in the rural villages. Never once did I see 4G or EDGE or less than 4 full bars of signal, it was just LTE everywhere. I was thoroughly impressed with how frequent a cell antennae was placed throughout my entire trip there. I'm talking fields of farms and antennae just placed every few farms. In the SF Bay Area, the coverage and reception(Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile) is straight garbage compared to what I got in China.

KPandian1 is from India and jealous of Chinese progress, no need to take his comments into any consideration.
 
5G is not available where I live, and probably won’t be in 2019 either.

Also, I don’t really see the point of it. 4G can be reeally fast! Like 100mbit/s fast. Would I really notice any difference if it was faster? Probably not. Maybe if I was streaming 4K, but how many users have data caps for that? Most users have 5-10GB/month..
The main point about 5G isn't faster speeds for individuals but better use of frequencies and less congestion, thus larger overall capacity for more people to use.

Funny to watch Apple users becoming grandpa, suspicious of new tech. "Better wait, 'cause Apple knows best!".
 
For one, TSMC's "7mm" node is roughly equivalent to Intel's 10mm node. But more importantly, in the iPhone the modem chipset will be paired with Apple's own CPU anyway, so what Qualcomm does with their CPU isn't really that interesting for Apple.
Except that it won't scale to large numbers of devices because it is much too expensive to use two modem chipsets.
It's a strategic decision alright ... they are bringing a half-baked solution to the market for the bragging rights.
"Primed to go" doesn't mean deployed.

You don't seem to understand Apple's plan for the future.

Apple's in-house LTE modem will be integrated into the A13 or A14 SoC. This is similar to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 platform which has a modem in the SoC.

Apple won't be using two modem chipsets. They will be using their own integrated LTE modem with a 5G modem hooked on. This is similar to the current configuration of the A12 hooked up to an Intel modem.

Qualcomm's prediction is Apple won't need an LTE modem from them. Therefore, QCOMM has a standalone 5G modem. Intel is betting Apple's design team will still need an LTE modem.

It's clear Apple has a huge baseband design team working on something big. It's a simply a matter of time before they unveil their LTE modem.
 
We had a ton of responses like that about 4G back in 2010 and 2011: "3G is good enough for a phone, no need for anything faster"
Valid point.

My current 100mbit cellular connection is pretty darn fast though, what will 5G offer to my phone? Lower latency? Honestly, I can’t tell the difference in speed with my cell service vs. my fast-home internet. The internet “wall” has been real to me for a while. On LTE, videos play instantly, pages load fast, apps download quickly.

The only real-world scenario I can see having a major impact is downloading a large app from the App Store. Those moments are few and far between. LTE is a workhorse I don’t mind riding.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tiger8
The problem for Apple is that even if they could release 5G in 2019, they won't fearing the backlash from X, XR, XS, XS Max owners who had just spent a fortune! They might delay as long as possible.
OMG, there it is again !
The “Cannot innovate my *** because of former ripoff”-idea that also got the MacBookAir underdimensioned, in order not to pale out MB/MBPro.
Why not use it, as Ballmer hasn’t patented it ?
 
  • Like
Reactions: salukimike
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.