Some users were able to guess its function correctly, as it turned out that the bar at the top of the iPhone 17 Pro models is nothing but a window for the fifth generation “mmWave” antenna.
The surprising thing is that this notch is not present in versions intended for some markets outside the United States.
This is because this type of antenna is only needed in regions that rely on mmWave, such as North America, to provide high-speed fifth generation Internet.
Although this explains the basic mystery, other questions remain: Why weren’t the antennas in this position in previous versions? Why did Apple change the design?
Mainly due to the new all-aluminium frame, aluminum blocks radio signals, so this window was likely a design necessity.
Where were the 5G antennas located in previous iPhones?
Without that bar on the top of the iPhone 17 Pro (which is made of an RF-transparent material), users would likely have complained about poor 5G speeds in urban areas.
Since “mmWave 5G” technology has become a standard in the United States, it has been present in iPhones intended for the American market since the iPhone 12.
The placement of these antennas in previous iPhones varies from one version to another, which is interesting. In the iPhone 12 Pro, for example, the notch was located below the power button, then that changed in the iPhone 14 Pro, as Apple moved the notch to the top right side of the phone.
In the next generation of “Pro” models, the notch became slightly higher, but in the iPhone 16 Pro, the antenna was placed at the top behind the back of the device, perhaps to accommodate the new “Camera Control” button.
As for the basic iPhone 17 phone, as the reviews indicated, it comes with an aluminum frame, but its back is made of glass. So there was no need to add a notch at the top, and the antenna was simply placed behind the back of the phone.
In any case, the new bar at the top of the iPhone 17 Pro is a clear sign that it is a version intended for the American market.
