Apple ditches mmWave 5G with newest iPhone

Apple on Tuesday took the wraps off a new iPhone, the SE, which represents a third entry in Apple's lineup of inexpensive, SE-branded phones.

However, the new gadget features one glaring omission: support for 5G in highband, millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum. It does, however, support 5G in lowband and midband spectrum, including the recently freed C-band.

The fact that Apple is not including mmWave 5G in its newest iPhone – which will be sold by mmWave proponent Verizon – represents a surprising corporate pivot for both companies. Less than two years ago Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg played a starring role in Apple's iPhone 12 unveiling, joining Apple CEO Tim Cook onstage to explain the benefits of 5G in mmWave spectrum.

There are likely several reasons for Apple's decision to dump mmWave from its newest iPhone, as discussed by PCMag, but the primary one undoubtedly has to do with cost. The inclusion of mmWave often raises the cost of a phone, and Apple's primary goal with its SE-branded iPhones is to hit lower price points. Apple's new iPhone SE will start at $429, or roughly half what Apple charges for its other new phones. According to analyst Anisha Bhatia of GlobalData, the inclusion of mmWave could have added $60 to $120 to the cost of the phone.

Figure 1: Apple's newest iPhone SE.
(Source: Apple)

Verizon, for its part, remains one of the few operators in the world to loudly embrace 5G in mmWave spectrum. But the carrier has recently turned its attention to midband 5G buildout in C-band spectrum, though company officials continue to argue that mmWave 5G is an important part of Verizon's overall strategy.

Verizon seems to have been put in a difficult situation by Apple's decision to remove mmWave from its newest iPhone. For example, a Verizon representative on Twitter responded to questions on the topic with an "I'm sorry" GIF.

Whether Apple will continue to support mmWave 5G in future products remains to be seen. Other smartphone makers have also taken a case-by-case approach to supporting mmWave 5G.

Finally, it's worth noting that Verizon isn't the only operator missing spectrum bands inside the new iPhone. As noted by PCMag, the phone also doesn't support the 3.45GHz bands – dubbed the "Andromeda" bands by Light Reading – that AT&T recently bought for around $9 billion in an FCC auction.

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— Mike Dano, Editorial Director, 5G & Mobile Strategies, Light Reading | @mikeddano