Last month, a class-action lawsuit was filed against Apple in the Northern District of California for selling the iPhone XR with a “defective” 2×2 MIMO antenna. Now, another class action lawsuit has been filed against Apple for breaching its “express and implied warranties” in the same court by 13 iPhone XR owners.

Unlike the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max which feature a 4×4 MIMO antenna array, the iPhone XR has a 2×2 MIMO antenna setup. Due to this, it offers slower LTE download speeds, weaker network reception, and inferior sound quality in areas with a poor network connection. Unlike the iPhone XS series, the iPhone XR also did not support gigabit download speeds on LTE.

In the new lawsuit, the plaintiffs claim that Apple used an inferior 2×2 MIMO antenna array despite knowing about the issues with it. The company is further accused of failing to disclose the iPhone XR’s defect to consumers “who reasonably expected the latest Apple product to have the most advanced technology. Apple further warrants that the iPhone XR’s technology is free of defects, but the 2×2 MIMO antenna array has a defective connectivity system.” The plaintiffs claim that Apple has used unfair and deceptive business practices, violated California consumer protection acts, and “breached its express and implied warranties.”

Due to the above issues, the plaintiffs are seeking an unspecified amount of monetary compensation, legal fees, and an order “enjoining Apple from further deceptive and unfair business practices.”

Our Take

Interestingly, Apple continues to use a 2×2 MIMO antenna setup on the iPhone 11, though the device does ship with a faster Gigabit LTE modem. Apple was not really clear about the iPhone XR shipping with 2×2 MIMO antenna setup compared to 4×4 MIMO on the iPhone XS series. While a smartphone with 4×4 MIMO antenna setup will offer faster download speeds and better network reception, it does not mean that there are no devices in the market with a 2×2 MIMO arrangement and that it is defective as the lawsuit claims.