According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, iPhone printed circuit boards will not use resin-coated copper foil (RCC) before 2025. He said Apple would not adopt this technology in 2024 because of its "fragile nature and failure to pass drop tests."
access:
Apple Online Store (China)
If Apple and its supplier Ajinomoto can improve the RCC material by the third quarter of 2024, the material could be used in high-end iPhone 17 models. Resin-coated copper doesn't sound exciting, but it has the potential to shrink the size of circuit boards, freeing up space inside the iPhone for a larger battery or other technology.
Ming-Chi Kuo said that because RCC does not contain fiberglass, it can also make the drilling process for iPhones easier.
Late last month, a circuit expert on Weibo claimed that Apple would start using RCC on circuit boards in 2024, but now it seems we may not see this transition until 2025.