Leaker: Better reception on the iPhone 17 Pro thanks to antenna modification?
Apple's new camera system apparently allows more space for antenna passages. This should optimize the 5G signal supply.
A mobile phone mast.
(Image: Daniel AJ Sokolov)
According to previous leaks, the most striking feature of the new iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max is the new rear camera design. The module with the three lenses, the flash, and the LIDAR extends across the width of the housing, so it no longer occupies just a square at the top left. The device is therefore immediately recognizable. The leaker Majin Bu, who is said to have contacts in Apple's Asian supply chain, now writes that Apple is also using the large new camera area to optimize its antenna design. Allegedly, the necessary clearances in the housing are now being repositioned “around the new camera module.”
Larger area for better reception?
This is a “significant structural change”. According to Majin Bu, Apple is taking inspiration from the design of the Apple Watch Ultra with its “strategically integrated antennas,” which are intended to optimize reception quality and signal stability. The new antenna design could – at least theoretically – improve reception quality. This should apply to 5G in particular, but also to LTE reception. It is not yet clear whether Bluetooth and Wi-Fi will also benefit. The antenna surface is said to be larger overall.
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Currently, Apple's antennas on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, for example, protrude from the edge of the housing in the form of a total of six notches (two at the top and bottom on the left and right sides, one each at the top and bottom). Integration into the camera area would significantly enlarge the area. In a render image distributed by Majin Bu, you can even see a combination of antenna lines coming from the edge towards the camera area. Whether this is correct remains to be seen.
The question of 5G mmWave
Apple is still planning to install a Qualcomm 5G chip in the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. According to the rumor mill, Apple's own C2 radio chip will not be used until the 18 Pro models in 2026. However, Wi-Fi 7 support is expected for the 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. Another interesting question is whether Apple will allow the very fast 5G mmWave technology for Europe for the first time in this year's new Pro iPhones.
So far, this has only been available for US customers (with adapted hardware). In theory, an improved antenna design could help to facilitate mmWave support. However, the technology is still hardly widespread in this country.
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