Why There's A Cutout On The Side Of iPhone

Starting with iPhone 12, Apple added this rounded cutout on the side of every model. But they didn’t explain what it was or why it existed. Many assumed it would be for the Apple Pencil. Since it looked similar to a cutout included on the iPad that allows the second generation Apple Pencil to magnetically attach and charge. But the iPhone doesn’t support Apple Pencil. So why did Apple add this cutout to iPhone?

[@--2]

This isn't for the regular 5G, but for the millimetre wave standard. The millimetre wave frequency is banned most places outside of military use, except the USA, meaning only the US models come with this cutout.

[@ozordiprince9405]

How he overlooked such a glaring error is beyond me

[@windowsfan95]

So that’s why my iPhone 13 mini bought in Norway doesn’t have this.

[@KotaNageswar]

Yes, I didn’t have that in Indian model.

[@SmartFurnishing]

Exactly

[@RixXcviii]

What a load of rubbish 😂

[@WillWatchAnything]

Specifically the cutout is for millimeter wave 5G reception which is not yet available in all 5G coverage areas.

[@Antrashorts519]

Very true and this should’ve been explained in the video above. As per the UK model supports 5G yet there’s no such plastic cutout on the side of the phone.

[@Imolos]

@@Antrashorts519 it doesn't have plastic cutout because we here (Europe) doesn't have mmWave 5G. The 5G we have is different. with friend we call it LTE on speed. Edit: Somewhere this in Europe mmWave could be already in testing

[@MasiKarimi]

Thanks for the info!

[@InventorZahran]

@@Imolos I find it kinda funny how Europe's version of 5G is called "LTE on speed", when the whole reason why the LTE name exists is because many mobile carriers never offered high enough data speeds to meet the *4G* standard. LTE stands for Long Term Evolution, and it was meant to be a transitional standard while carriers upgraded their infrastructure to support 4G. But some never fully made the switch, and left their customers stuck with LTE until 5G became available.

[@korveftw]

Just a quick note Here in Europe we don't got this plastic cutout. Only the 4 small antennas

[@mtemporal]

same here in Brazil

[@harrison00xXx]

Yep, i searched for it since i though... well why i didnt realize this ugly plastic window yet, but there isnt one :D

[@Cloudswrld]

Yep

[@poble]

yeah my 12 doesn’t have it either, I’m from chile

[@blackstormer95]

just checked mine, same here, Costa Rica btw

[@enzmondo]

Actually the cutout is for millimetre wave 5G. That’s the one that will give you~1Gb/s speeds when in direct and unobstructed connection to a mmWave 5G antenna. Most countries don’t have mmWave so most iPhone models with 5G sold outside the US don’t have that cutout.

Actually 4 Gbps on 700 MHz BW. Mid-Band 5G already can give gigabit speeds (which is why mmWave is not really rolled out in most countries).

[@enzmondo]

@ well there you go. mmWave can eat up your data cap.

@@enzmondo data caps aren‘t really a problem in most countries (even in Germany). In most countries if you pay more, you get faster internet like on landline (for example 30$ for 10 Mbps, 80$ for unthrottled/1 Gbps).

[@D-Thang_]

@@enzmondo I have unlimited data 😎

[@PhilUP]

It's for 5g connection, but it would've been cool if it was for a mini Apple Pencil.

[@FinnishArmy]

Not really, who tf would use a stylist on a phone.

[@PhilUP]

@@FinnishArmy True, but some people do.

[@jdogisswag]

It would be cool if it was for Touch ID in my opinion

[@uzakoi]

@@FinnishArmy I do and my friends no harm intended in this reply.

[@mathewm3073]

@@FinnishArmy i do

[@ismilehossain3588]

This is like the most interesting channel about Apple and technology ever. It answers questions that I never knew I had.

[@kgztn]

We’ll rethink because he’s wrong.

[@raph.cinema]

I feel like your being sarcastic

[@bubbabousky3857]

This is the most interesting tech channel for you? That's sad. Not only does he only talk about Apple but he's completely biased towards them, even if he's wrong. Apple does everything for money - that's it - and yet, for some reason, this guy "explains" what Apple "actually did." It's quite boring and kind of sad to listen to someone plug their ears to the rest of the tech world and just make up stuff to make his corporatocracy look good. If you want actual good tech channels, check out MKBHD or Dave2D. You'll get plenty of news about Apple and you'll get unbiased opinions.

[@ismilehossain3588]

@@bubbabousky3857 Now that I think about it, I guess ur right. Other youtubers like MKBHD and i also started watching Mrwhosetheboss seem much more unbiased.

[@bubbabousky3857]

@@ismilehossain3588 I apologize for being crass. I didn't expect a sudden change in opinion. But yeah, mrwhosetheboss is pretty good. He's a little goofy, though, and I'm not the biggest fan or his style but I still watch him, lol.

[@calebmurphyy]

Hi, just figured I'd say this but I have a Samsung Galaxy S21 FE (I know, samsung on apple explained..) and it has these too. Just figured I'd share this as a fun fact! By the way, I love how you answer questions I never even asked in your videos haha. Great work!!

[@LtexprsGaming]

I have a S22 Ultra and have it on here as well. I was seriously wondering what it was for the longest time, before I learned what it was about a month ago.

[@Isaac-gh5ku]

@@LtexprsGaming I have an S22 Ultra but I don't have that cutout. Since I don't lived in the US, I guess the cutout is only exclusive to US models.

[@Jayden-lr2mm]

I have seen this cutout on the iPhone before, however I wasn’t sure what it was. I thought it was some wifi cellar or something. Good explanation of what is was. On previous models on iPhone 5, I saw the antenna lines on the four corners as well and though it was a wifi cellar lines

[@w32211]

Yeah you were right when you guessed it. Except it’s not WI-FI and It’s for cellular data.

[@eraldway]

It's a terrible explanation. The antenna is only for mmWave that is only available in the USA. The rest of the world gets 5G by using the same old antenna.

[@Isaac-gh5ku]

And I thought it was a slot for something else, or a second fingerprint scanner. But the one I saw is not an iPhone, but a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, and I saw one in a KZbin short.

[@JustARandomGuy-1234]

Thanks for the explanation, I got an iPhone 12 mini less than a month ago, and I was wondering what that cutout was since my old iPhone 11 didn't have one.

[@blykan]

It’s a millimetre(er)Wave 5G NR antenna for receiving 28-39Ghz frequencies in US model since iPhone 12 lineups (band 258, 260 and 261). On iPad Pro 5th gen (12.9) / 3rd gen (11) both have this antenna same as iPhone. Rest of the word models didn’t include this antenna piece because Sub-6Ghz antenna has embedded in iPhone and mmWave didn’t widely use outside US.

[@adrians2291]

why would you repeat what he said in the video what was the point

[@texasintegral5714]

@@adrians2291 This explanation was way more detailed than the video itself

[@SirZeck]

@@adrians2291 there is no mention of this in the vid. He just said it's for 5G and that's it.

@@adrians2291 it was a really bad explanation. 5G uses different frequency bands. FR1, which is the spectrum under 6 GHz and has a long to medium range with low to high speeds. 4G also has used this spectrum before and because of that, the European iPhones without mmWave don‘t have the plastic cutout. FR2 is the band the cutout is for. It is referred to as the mmWave band (technically not the entire FR2 spectrum is mmWave) and has a low range but high speeds. The electromagnetic waves of mmWave are really short like the name says and they can‘t pass into metal, while n28/71 can. So 5G isn‘t 5G. A general principle is, that a lower frequency means lower speeds, a higher wavelength and higher range and a higher frequency means higher speeds, but a lower wavelength and lower range.

[@i_like_phones]

I’ve been waiting for a video! Loved it

[@rayana5932]

Thx for the subtitles 🙏🏻

[@MasiKarimi]

Thanks for the info!

[@GiuseppeBasile]

I always watch until the end. Thanks for shouting me out on every video.

[@salimmalik2316]

Those cutouts were not available for Indian iPhone 12 and greater models as here there will be no Ultra frequency bands in 5G

[@Itz_JD7]

Yes yes, I noticed this when I brought iphone 12 mini, idk why India sales doesn't get cutout + The 5G should be starting soon and shifting everyone into 4G from 3G

[@anubrata_083]

This has been my question for many days since I saw MKBHD's iPhone review video, what the heck is that and why it's present. Thanks for explaining. Also I learned from other sources that that cutout is only present in US iPhone models, not present in Indian or other models since US uses mmwave frequency for 5G; other regions use sub6GHZ frequency (5G not yet in India lol)

[@canute18canute]

Thanks for clarifying. I was wondering why my 12 mini didn’t have the cutout. Now I can be at peace.

[@anubrata_083]

@@canute18canute where are you from? welcome btw 👌🏻✨

[@canute18canute]

@@anubrata_083 Bangalore (but from Mangalore)

[@gamerdudetm9558]

To be honest I actually never knew what this thing was called and I didn’t know how to google it so thanks Greg!

[@davidbertschi1]

Great vid 👍🏻

[@Jaur-jaur]

Correction: iPhone 6, 6s, and 7 all had plastic cutouts as well - the antenna bands on the back of the phone. Also, if you want to get picky, the antenna lines in the sides of every lPhone have always been plastic.

[@Henfredemars]

That's really cool. I was actually just wondering about this the other day when putting on a new case.

[@eraldway]

He is wrong. That's not for the 5G connectivity. It's for the mmWave only in the US. Other countries don't have this cutout but still get 5G.

[@namenlos4374]

NOT EVERY MODEL!!! in EU we don't have this ugly cutout :)

[@XblueNitroxNT]

that make sense. i just looked at my iphone 13 and were so confused xD

[@railapinid1116]

but do we still have a 5g connectivity???

[@XblueNitroxNT]

@@railapinid1116 5G Works absolutly Fine on mine iPhone 13

[@harrychristofi6725]

@@railapinid1116 We do in Cyprus, Cytamobile-Vodafone which is the cell phone division partnership of the Cyprus telecommunications authority (Cyta) and what I use says I can reach 1 gbps with their 5G but usually I only reach 600 mbps which is still a lot compared to shitty and slow 4G lol but idk if I will ever reach 1 gbps without that plastic shit on my iPhone 13 pro max

[@notoriousfly9260]

@@harrychristofi6725 I have it too on my 13 Pro Max in the UAE

[@jomonjohnson1442]

Great information ❤️❤️🔥🔥🔥

[@MRCOCOCITY]

Good info. I just switched back to iPhone after 5 years and was wondering what that was on the side of the phone.

[@kingshukdutta5362]

I also have iPhone 12, but the thing is that the cutout for antenna is only for the U.S. Version. I remember very well that U.S. Version of iPhone 12 is slightly different from Int’l version because of Antenna

[@kidjiujitsu]

Love this channel!!!!

[@Andrescxli]

Please make longer videos.

[@chrols]

It’s for MM wave 5G and I think it’s the USA model only, which causes an issue if you’re seeking certain repair services outside of the states.

[@billugwuanyi7706]

Love the video. Very informative 🙌

[@skippycavanugh2700]

When I first saw iPhone 12 keynote and noticed the cutout I thought it was a fingerprint/TouchID sensor. I was very surprised that Apple has finally heard user demand for return of Touch ID and saw entire keynote for its introduction. After the keynote I read it in a article it’s a 5G Millimetre Wave antenna lol

[@vipul2.032]

You would have been really disappointed

[@jaysmokin]

That would’ve been a good spot for the fingerprint not gonna lie. It would be helpful at the time because of mask

[@joshs3916]

Noticed this in the first couple days of ownership of my 13 PM. Very interesting.

[@RikiCL]

Yeah, that antenna is for mmWave 5G, and it’s used only in the US, for example, in Europe we don’t have it and phone cases don’t have the cutout either

[@tejaviansanford7631]

Even phone cases in the us don’t have it for the iPhones that have this

[@fucknugget8856]

Could it be used as a finger print scanner at a later date?

[@seowoongchang3114]

Omg!! Thanks for this video!!! I thought it was a stupid sticker and tried to take it off until I went to this vid!!!

[@vitoriavision]

Thank you!

[@LeeStewart]

And I actually thought they were going to bring out a mini Apple Pencil for that cutout.

[@sportiingboy]

I'm from belgium and have an EU iPhone 13PM and I've noticed with my friends who have a 12 that none of us have this cutout.

[@Nic_Boston]

i just got an iphone 13 2 weeks ago and thought it was a magnet thanks for this

[@OneMustNot]

Hello, I was thinking, could you do a video on the evolution of the flash on the iPhone. I just thought that might be a cool video to see

[@hobbygrg-eudaimoniastudio]

Next video: Greg explaining what the edge of the universe look like

[@ProphetRay]

I feel a Mini Apple pencil on the way after this video 😂✏️

[@yes-69]

i don't like apple but i still like watching your videos for some reason

[@MattyH64]

Well that’s a long question finally answered for me.

[@AsianDrag0n]

I actually asked an AT&T person this a few days ago on the 13 pro max

[@justamrcreeper6467]

Im still wondering why shouldn’t apple just place that cutout on the top of the phone so the reception is better, since most people hold their phone litterally on top of the antenna

[@rheild]

They could make the Apple logo (on the back) plastic, and make the logo a slight indentation so that it would still have the "premium" feel.

[@prospera93]

The Apple logo on the back is actually a button, so no antennas there

[@isaacsac5]

I heard that that was for the millimeterWave antenna.

[@Raul1528]

And you would be right, since the exterior aluminum / stainless steel would essentially impede the mmWave signal, which is already rather sensitive to being blocked easily due to it's high frequency One other thing to note is that there is another mmWave antenna on the back-side of the logic board, facing out and through the back glass; having two (or more, like in some Samsung models) allows the device to be able to switch to different mmWave antennas in case one gets blocked On some, but not all Samsung devices, the area in front of a side-mounted mmWave antenna is actually replaced with a different material, likely a plastic which removed the need for a visible break in the metal frame, you can see a picture of it here: www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/samsung-galaxy-s20-ultra-ifixit-3.jpg Nowadays, there is a plastic window on most recent Samsung models which likely aids in the reception, in comparison to the previous designs with the concealed areas With sub-6 5G, most of those frequencies were already being used by LTE or previous networking generations, so traditional antenna designs could essentially be recycled to accept them, hence why some phones might not have mmWave support but can still connect to sub-6 5G via traditional antenna designs, like non-USA iPhone 12 & newer models, the latest iPad Air and Mini models, and other Android devices

[@poeticstormz7717]

This channel is Awesome little tid bits of information on why apple products rock helps you decide to get you an iphine

[@eggbag4182]

It’s a tactical Tic Tac holder (tic tac not included in box)

[@IJODIN]

Is it same with the white line at back iPhone 6 and so on?

[@sujeyk.j9230]

it is only available for the U.S market for now

[@Epicookiez]

That's interesting I didn't know it needed to be so big

[@galaxspace1]

Compared to the size of the universe its tiny

[@lethaboelvismahlangu4869]

The international version doesn’t have that cut out. My iPhone 13 doesn’t have that cut out and it obviously supports 5G but not the millimetre wave

[@29FR.]

Same, i have iPhone 13 too but doesn’t have cutout

[@danishsami8576]

Kinda miss his old style with real things, but its still good tho, i love this in a diff way

[@bland9876]

I have seen some phones that have a premium feel while still having plastic on the back and I actually prefer that over the more sticky glass feel.

[@iimaximo1150]

i’ve actually had this question for a while

[@RealCrimsonRed]

Why Doesn’t the Apple Pencil work with iPhone? I understand the second gen pencil but why not the 1st gen pencil?

[@fotiskantis]

You also answered another question Why Apple went back to the iPhone 4 design on the iPhone 12

[@JuanPablo-qs6hh]

thisdhelped me outa lot because i was wodnering what it was for

[@austinhowells20]

My first iPhone was a 4s LTE and it was black 8gs.

[@cecilhosein4387]

How come no one is mentioning that the position of the antenna is almost Always going to be Blocked by your Hand? I mean, wouldn't that affect reception of the 5g mm wave(that depends on line of sight to work best)?

[@samdog7534]

Why does the iPad Pro has 3 metal dots on the back of the iPad?

[@magicalkeys]

Hey can you make a video on "Why Apple developed its own font?"

[@nashizumrud2090]

0:09-0:23 Yeah, that's what I thought about it as well. Good explanation though.

[@Techno-Universal]

I also believe that same cutout is used for the SIM card tray on non US models as many countries and networks still don’t support ESIM.

[@therealfrananon]

Correct, my european iphone 12 doesn't have that cutout, but a SIM card tray in the very same place and with the exact dimensions.

[@GW_0788]

the small antennas make the model much cleaner and better

[@IntegraDIY]

I wondered what that was on my 13PM!

[@Techlifeandmore]

I think that Apple used plastic Cut outs for the antennas on their iPhone 6 series, 6S series, and seven series of phones.

[@TheSlopMeister]

The cutout is for US models only because of millimetre wave standard. My European model doesn’t have one because of laws in the EU on it.

It‘s not because of laws, Vodafone Germany has done tests on UWB. It just doesn‘t make sense for Apple to add UWB if it isn‘t going to be used much.

[@OctaviusGeorge]

I once thought that that would be the touchID sensor

[@eggbag4182]

What about the asymmetrical speaker grills on the bottom?

[@FinnishArmy]

One is microphone and the other is a speaker. Done, simple; next video.

[@sakurojason]

The reason why the microphone grill isn’t as large as the speaker grill is because Apple had to add antennas on the bottom left and on the top right on the iPhone XS and later so 4G passes through stainless steel easier. The iPhone XR and iPhone 11 don’t have this problem since they can pass 4G easier through Aluminum. The iPhone 12, iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 mini still have six antennas because they have to be able to pass 5G waves reliably through aluminum.

[@marcozagami410]

@@sakurojason The reason why some iPhones have 4 antenna bars while some others have 6 of them is because the XR and the 11 have 2 x 2 LTE antennas (LTE Advanced) while the XS, 11 Pro and all the 12 and 13 models have 4 x 4 antennas (Gigabit LTE). It is not related to the aluminium/stainless steel body. Also, the body itself is the antenna system. The plastic is needed to separate different antennas. @Eggbag the asymmetrical speaker grills was needed to add the extra plastic pieces to accomodate the 4 x 4 antennas design.

[@Potactical]

Fun fact, Australian models of the 12 and upward do not have this

[@NSR95]

This only goes for iPhones sold in the US. My iPhone 13 pro max doesn’t have this cut out

[@CasodiCraco]

Yeah I was wondering because I live in europe and dont have it

[@LongLiveCheems]

Wasn’t plastic used for the iPhone 5c?

[@starmanxvi]

Next up, What's that shiny thing on the back of your iPhone?

[@gig2705]

Not 100% true. In EU we don't have that round thing. And our iPhones can also do 5G ;).

[@rayana5932]

Watch the video before commenting, he said that it some phone doesn’t have it

[@harrison00xXx]

@@rayana5932 But he didnt say they also support 5G...

[@gig2705]

@@rayana5932 I did. You need to lisen to what he sad.

[@MaimiZhang]

@@rayana5932 he didn’t mention what you said in your comment. 😅 what are you saying?

[@MaimiZhang]

I think that’s only for US variant. Global variants don’t have the circular cutout.

[@tejaviansanford7631]

Apple explained what this was for during the original apple event that showcased the iPhone 12 series lineup.

[@tymkon7127]

If you’re wondering why you don’t see cutout on your iPhone 12, it’s because you’re living outside US. United States use different method of 5G reception than the other regions

[@djp1234]

TIL that glass blocks radio signal

[@cooper208]

I live in Australia and my iPhone 13 doesn’t have the cut out

[@RedPMD]

It's just a 5G antenna. Done. 2 second video.

[@mathewm3073]

dead video

[@kingtasticdev]

at first i thought it was a side fingerprint sensor, and I kinda wish it was

[@Cool7]

But what if you have an iPhone case, will it change anything?

[@BeatACVR]

1:27 bro was terrified of the concept of plastic on an iPhone 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀

[@Jacky12595]

That makes sense

[@thesweetestpie7466]

the apple pencil idea is actually not bad

[@torontostew]

Is this on the iPhone 13 pro max or just the 12 series.

[@switchedaccountsempty9506]

I don't have that on mine. We have the small white antennas around the sides of the iphone 13's here england

[@MaiElizabeth]

Only US market has that ‘antenna’.

[@arjunvk6183]

Make a video on why apple removed Touch ID

[@kevinharte7949]

The Europe version doesn’t have the millimetre wave cutout

[@anir2286]

This is for millimeter wave 5G only and this cut out is only on US models not other regions.

[@donew1thita11]

I had no idea what that was

[@sonomortolol]

On Europe there isn't because we don't have mmWave 5G

[@glizzardwizard681]

when i first saw it i really thought it would a touch id sensor

[@Staralium]

No iPhones in UK have it because millimetre wave is only in the US.

[@partybrawl1764]

I hoped before you to make this but I already found this on google somehow 😂

[@darwincoolshorts350]

For some countries, they don’t having milli meter wave.

[@Isaac-gh5ku]

This cutout is not only found on iPhone only, but also on Android phones too. First time I saw this, was in a short horizontal KZbin video on a "fake" S22 Ultra unboxing. By "fake", I mean however it is actually a real and legit S22 Ultra. My model doesn't have that cutout since the S22 Ultra I got is not a US model.

[@thegamerwhoeditswithmusic]

In my iPhone 13 mini I don’t have this cutout it’s only 6 small old antennas 4 on sides like old 2 on top and bottom. Why’s that???

[@shriya7195]

6th! Also i have an idea you should do one about why the iPhone doesn’t have apple pencil