Apple is going to make the motherboards in its iPhones smaller
The new RCC technology has to be used for this
It should be used in two years at the earliest
The production of smartphones is more and more reminiscent of watchmaking. Every year, the number or size of cameras, battery capacity or the number of antennas grows in their guts, so manufacturers have to constantly fight with internal space. Because of this, in previous years we had to say goodbye to, for example, the 3.5 mm port or the slot for memory cards, physical SIM cards are currently starting to be frowned upon. What else can you save on? Apple is said to be making the motherboard smaller.
iPhones with smaller motherboards
According to information from Chinese sources, Apple plans to use Resin Coated Copper (RCC) technology for future iPhone motherboards. This technology consists in combining copper sheets and unlayered resin, which creates a dielectric material that enables the construction of multilayer circuits.
Thanks to the increased density of individual components, it should be possible to reduce the number of layers, which will lead to a reduction in the total height of the entire circuit. A secondary advantage is supposed to be a closer connection of the layers, and therefore faster communication between the chips. Drilling should also be easier, as circuits made with RCC technology do not contain fiberglass fabric.
The disadvantage of the technology is the overall fragility – boards using RCC would allegedly not withstand drop tests, so their development should still take some time. Informant Ming-Chi Kuo predicts their deployment in the iPhone 17 in 2025 at the earliest, and only if their leading manufacturer, Ajinomoto, advances development by the 3rd quarter of next year.
More space for vibration motors?
We still have no idea how much smaller the motherboards for the new iPhones will be. However, if it succeeds, we are sure that Apple will use the resulting space appropriately, for example for larger batteries or camera modules.
The new side buttons will probably require more space – Apple plans to replace the current mechanical buttons with touch sensors supplemented with haptic motors similar to the current Taptic Engine. The latter provides the tactile response of the touch screen, but the aforementioned side sensors are to receive their own solution. In Cupertino, they considered using touch pads instead of mechanical buttons already in this year’s iPhones, but in the end they moved their deployment to the next generation.
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Author of the article
Jakub Karásek
A fan of mobile technology, convertibles and wireless charging, a fan of hard music and a lover of fast driving in go-karts, bikes and skis. Opponent of FUP, slow internet and overgrown smartphones.
2023-10-15 07:00:00
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