In an update to a previous report, Ming-Chi Kuo now says that all three new iPhones coming in 2020 will support 5G
Juli Clover / MacRumors :
Context & Ripple Effects
Kuo's June forecast drew a line inside the 2020 lineup: the high-end 5.4-inch and 6.7-inch models would carry 5G, while the cheaper 6.1-inch model sat below the cutoff (his three-model breakdown). This update erases that line — 5G moves from a premium-only feature to the default across all three iPhones.
The change matters because it resolves the biggest open question about Apple's first 5G generation: whether Apple would hold the radio technology back as a tier differentiator or ship it fleet-wide.
First-order effects
- The 6.1-inch model joins the 5.4-inch and 6.7-inch as a 5G device, meaning buyers of Apple's cheapest new iPhone get the same connectivity class as flagship buyers rather than last-gen radios.
Second-order effects
- A three-model 5G iPhone lineup multiplies the volume riding on whatever modem Apple sources — and the later reporting that all three models use Qualcomm's X55 (confirmed that supplier split) means Qualcomm, not an in-house part, captures that entire demand base for launch year.
Third-order effects
- Kuo has separately pegged Apple's own 5G modem at 2022–2023, so this all-in-on-Qualcomm move reads as a bridge strategy; if the pattern holds, 5G stops being a spec tier and becomes table stakes in the iPhone line before Apple controls the silicon underneath it.
- Fleet-wide 5G also raises Apple's exposure to supply-side constraints on the radio itself — a risk that materialized when Kuo later cut mmWave-enabled shipment forecasts citing pandemic disruption.
The trend: Apple is collapsing the feature tiers between its flagship and mid-range iPhones, making 5G standard across the lineup years before it can replace Qualcomm with its own modem.