Rumored thin motherboard for iPhone 17 allegedly dropped over quality issues
The iPhone 17 range may not utilize the rumored thinner motherboard after all. It would have reduced costs and also increased available space for other components.
A motherboard or mainboard (source: Ming-Chi Kuo)
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo broke the news of Apple working on this new motherboard in October 2023. It was to use Resin Coated Copper (RCC), which replaces the traditional bonding sheet -- the familiar green backing of a motherboard -- with a deposited resin.
At the time, Kuo said that this would not only save internal space in the iPhone 17 but "because it's fiberglass-free" would also make the required drilling easier. That in itself would cut down on production costs.
Now, however, Kuo says that Apple has dropped the plan to use it in the 2025 range. The change is due "to the inability to meet Apple's high-quality requirements," he said in a tweet.
Apple2025iPhone 17RCCPCB
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Update: Due to the inability to meet Apple's high-quality requirements, the new iPhone 17 in 2025 will not use RCC as the PCB motherboard material. https://t.co/ZInZnDqQqZ-- (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo)
In his original report, Kuo did say that RCC would not be used in the iPhone 16 range because of "its fragile characteristics and inability to pass drop tests." Presumably, Apple was confident in overcoming these issues, but presumably, it failed to do so.
Kuo offers no further detail so far. That means it's not clear whether RCC has truly been abandoned or Apple is now looking to use it in the iPhone 19 for 2026.
Separately, certain plans for the iPhone range up to and including the iPhone 19 have seemingly been leaked. They all concern the displays and camera upgrades, however.
Rumor Score: Possible
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Comments
I think the rumored thinness is just bullshit rumormongering from Kuo. Never understood how using this new resin coated copper would make the iPhone thinner. Never trust any of Kuo’s extrapolations. The actual supply chain leak he has, like the RCC, is subject to constant change, and is therefore not that reliable.
This assumes all that the logic board is actually the thickest component in the phones, and not the battery, the Taptic Engine, the front sensors, the speakers, and who knows what else.