Only one model of Apple iPhone 12 series will support the fastest 5G and will be available in 3 countries

According to reports, only the iPhone 12 Pro Max model has enough physical space for mmWave 5G hardware and large enough battery to support faster connectivity.

The report also adds that only the iPhone 12 Pro Max models that are going to be shipped to the US, Korea and Japan will support the mmWave 5G. (REUTERS)

Apple is expected to introduce four new iPhones 12 models this year, but according to reports, only one of them is going to support the fastest 5G connection. Fast Company reports that only the 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max model will be the only one supporting the faster millimeter-wave version of 5G. All the iPhone 12 models are expected to support sub-6GHz 5G connectivity.

Of the four models of the iPhone 12 that Apple is expected to introduce this year, there is a 5.4-inch iPhone 12, a 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Max, a 6.1-inch and a 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro and a 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro Max. These names are not confirmed and could change by the time they launch.

The Fast Company report cites a source from the wireless industry and goes on to state that only the iPhone 12 Pro Max model has enough physical space for the mmWave 5G hardware and is also the only smartphone in the series with a large enough battery to support faster connectivity.

The report also adds that only the iPhone 12 Pro Max models that are going to be shipped to the US, Korea and Japan will support the mmWave 5G.

As 9to5Mac points out, carriers across the globe are rolling out sub-6GHz and mmWave networks in different deployments and are following different timelines for that. The mmWave is the 5G that has more “impressive speeds, potentially exceeding 1 gigabit”. On the other hand, the range in this is much smaller so carriers will have to set up more cell towers to it available more widely.

Compared to this, the sub-6GHz 5G networks in the US have speeds of 100-150 Mbps. These are considered to be faster than LTE and easier to deploy, however, they are far less powerful than the mmWave 5G.

The Fast Company report also adds that Apple could be launching a cheaper 4G iPhone in the iPhone 12 line by next spring and the report referred to it as an upgraded version of the iPhone SE. This could be the iPhone SE Plus model.

A separate report from Fast Company also indicated that both the 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max models will include a LiDAR Scanner, that's similar to the one on the iPad Pro, supplied by Sony.