Apple delays plans for new space-saving iPhone internal design

Ming-Chi Kuo reports that Apple has once again delayed its plans to use new resin-coated copper (RCC) components in the iPhone. This change, which would save internal space for the iPhone, was originally rumored to occur with the iPhone 16, then delayed to the iPhone 17, and now delayed again.

In his original report last October, Kuo explained that RCC can the thickness of the mainboard (i.e., it can save internal space) and make the drilling process easier because it’s fiberglass-free.

Using RCC in the iPhone, however, has been a challenge for Apple and its suppliers due to concerns about durability and fragility. That’s again said to be the reason for this latest delay.

“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,” Kuo wrote in a brief update on social media today.

If Apple eventually switches the iPhone’s mainboard to resin-coated copper, it’s not a change anyone would realize in and of itself. Instead, it would free up more internal space for the iPhone’s design. Apple could then choose to make iPhones thinner or find other ways to use that added free space.

Kuo’s report today doesn’t detail whether we might see this change with the iPhone 18 in 2026 or if we’re looking at a longer-term delay.

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