In October 2023, Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple was considering using resin-coated copper (RCC) components for the iPhone’s logic board to save space inside, as the exterior thickness would be reduced. However, a new report from the same source claims that this will ultimately not happen.
In a publish on X (formerly Twitter), Kuo said Apple would not use the new material in the iPhone 17 due to “supplier Ajinomoto’s inability to meet Apple’s high-quality requirements.” In October, Kuo said that if Ajinomoto could improve the RCC material before the third quarter of this year, Apple would use it in “the new high-end iPhone 17 models in 2025.”
The new high-end iPhone 17 is said to be a thinner model with a larger display and a new design. Using RCC was likely one of the ways Apple was able to make the phone thinner, as Kuo explains. RCC “can reduce the thickness of the motherboard (i.e., it can save internal space) and make the drilling process easier because it is fiberglass-free.”
Kuo wouldn’t speculate whether this change changes Apple’s plan for the iPhone 17, but with much less internal space than an iPad or Mac, it could force Apple to pivot to a different plan while delaying the new, thinner iPhone model to 2026.
