A new research report from Barclays revealed that the iPhone XR successor would sport 4X4 MIMO antenna design. iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max hold the distinction of being the first phones to feature 4X4 MIMO antenna design. Although Apple released iPhone XR alongside XS and XS Max it did not feature the 4X4 MIMO owing to its low cost. iPhone XR featured 2X2 MIMO design that contains only two antennas. There was a clear difference in the data speeds of XR when compared to XS and XS Max. It was evident in the tests conducted by cellular insights and Rhode&Schwarz.
What is 4X4 MIMO Antenna Design?
In short, 4X4 MIMO stands for Multiple-input Multiple-output that increases the LTE data transmission. It features four antennas, thereby creating four different data paths between the cellular tower and the mobile devices. In other words, the design allows for four simultaneous data streams resulting in enhanced data speeds. On the other hand, the 2X2 MIMO features only two antennas. The difference becomes more apparent in weak signal conditions.
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The new addition of 4X4 MIMO might give the iPhone XR successor the much needed USP. The earlier models iPhone XS, XS Max and iPhone XR failed to reach the expectations of the Apple. But since the company is in agreement with Samsung for supplying a particular number of OLED panels. But due to less demand for the three models, it reverted to iPhone X production to compensate for using the remaining OLED panels.