iPhone 17 could be first to get new thinner & lighter motherboard tech

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
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in iPhone

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is looking to use Resin Coated Copper for the motherboard in its 2025 iPhone 17, if the technology can be perfected.

A motherboard or mainboard (source: Ming-Chi Kuo)
A motherboard or mainboard (source: Ming-Chi Kuo)



It's already been claimed that the whole iPhone 17 range will have always-on displays, but now there's a rumor about the internal design, too. Ming-Chi Kuo says that Apple aims to make its iPhone mainboard using resin coated copper (RCC).

Resin coated copper is a laminate material, and is basically described in the name. It replaces a bonding sheet -- the green, grey, or black nonconductive material on existing motherboards -- with a deposited resin. Laser ablation is generally used to carve the conductive copper, rather than the technique for conductive filaments on existing boards.

"RCC can reduce the thickness of the mainboard (i.e., it can save internal space) and make the drilling process easier because it's fiberglass-free," he wrote. "However, RCC will not be adopted in the 2024 iPhone 16 due to its fragile characteristics and inability to pass drop tests."

Kuo says the deadline to "improve the RCC material" is 3Q24, when Apple will be committing to its iPhone 17 design.

The benefit of making drilling easier is that it should cut down on manufacturing time, and therefore on cost. But the increased internal space has the potential to mean Apple has more room for new components -- or for a very slightly larger battery.

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 4
    mayflymayfly Posts: 385member
    Doesn't sound that critical for the iPhone. But it could improve the wearability of the VisionPro.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 4
    badmonkbadmonk Posts: 1,304member
    Maybe it will allow Apple to make room for noninvasive glucose monitoring by 2025.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 4
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,416member
    badmonk said:
    Maybe it will allow Apple to make room for noninvasive glucose monitoring by 2025.
    What do you mean by "make room for" with respect to noninvasive glucose monitoring? There is a small army of companies that have been working on this problem for more than a decade. If only if was a matter of finding more real estate inside the iPhone's chassis. If Apple had a working and approved version that required them to put a humpback protrusion on the iPhone like the old iPhone battery cases they would have already shipped it and reaped the massive rewards.
    Xedxyzzy01watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 4
    mpantonempantone Posts: 2,065member
    mayfly said:
    Doesn't sound that critical for the iPhone. But it could improve the wearability of the VisionPro.
    Yes, every gram counts, especially for wearables: watches, fitness monitors, glasses, AR/VR headsets, earbuds, headphones, and other wearable device types that have yet to hit the market.
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