Kuo: Apple seeks to save on costs in iPhone 12 With simpler battery board design

Apple seeks pressure on component suppliers for the upcoming iPhone 12 lineup to help offset increased costs for new 5G technology and minimize the need for price increases over the flagship lineup, according to a new research note by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reviewed by MacRumors.

Kuo says adopting Sub-6GHz 5G technology will increase Apple’s cost by $ 75- $ 85, while millimeter-wave technology will cost Apple $ 125- $ 135, saving the company costs on other components. where it can.

While Apple has broadly placed “higher negative pressure” on its suppliers, the battery board is one area where Kuo believes suppliers will cut the biggest costs with Apple, after reporting for a simpler and smaller design with less layers. The hybrid hard and soft battery board for the iPhone 12‌ will presumably be 40-50% cheaper than the equivalent part in the iPhone 11 series, although this component is likely to make a small contribution to Apple’s total cost.

Kuo looks further into the future, Kuo says that Apple will push the envelope even more in 2021 with the “iPhone 12s” lineup, and adopts a clean soft board design that will separate an additional 30-40% compared to the priceiPhone 12‌ -board price.

Apple has also put price pressure on its circuit board suppliers for the AirPods, says Kuo, with the average price of soft and hard boards in the ‘AirPods‌ 2’ falling by 25-35% since the first half of the year.

Apple’s current suppliers will have even more problems when the ‘AirPods’ 3 launches in the first half of 2021, according to Kuo. He reiterates his previous claims that next-generation earphones will follow the AirPods Pro in adopting an integrated system-in-package (SiP) design instead of the surface-mount technology (SMT) found in today’s AirPods‌ 2.