Ethertronics Releases First UWB Antenna Solutions for Samsung Electronics

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

AVX Corporation, a leading manufacturer and supplier of advanced electronic components and interconnect, sensor, control, and antenna solutions, announced that its AVX/Ethertronics Korea team has completed the development and mass production of the first ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna solutions to be integrated into Samsung Electronics products. Featured in the new Galaxy Note20 Series, which consists of new 6.7” Galaxy Note20 5G, 6.9” Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G, and Galaxy Z Fold2 smartphones and was recently unveiled at the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked virtual event, the new high-performance UWB antennas are the result of a strategic partnership and collaboration with Samsung and enable faster, more effective and efficient communication between devices. Ethertronics Korea also designed, developed, and completed the mass production release of the main communication band antennas — including LTE, GPS, and Wi-Fi antennas — for the Galaxy Note20, Galaxy Z Fold2, and Galaxy Buds Live products.

Manufactured using a flexible printed circuit (FPC) laminate with low-permittivity (low-DK/DF) materials, the new UWB antennas require very little power to transmit large amounts of data at up to 8Mbit per second over ultra-wideband frequencies of 6.2GHz–6.7GHz and 7.7GHz–8.2GHz at close-range distances up to 10m. The efficient new UMB antennas also accurately detect other IoT devices within 30cm, providing Galaxy Note20 and Galaxy Z Fold2 users with faster, more efficient and secure communication.

“The new UWB antennas imbue the latest generation of Samsung’s flagship Galaxy Series smartphones with the ability to deliver the high-speed, high-bandwidth performance necessary to support today’s vast array of connected applications while consuming minimal power in order to help further prolong battery life,” said Jeffrey Hilbert, Global Manager and Senior Director, AVX Antenna/Ethertronics. “We are extremely proud to be a strategic antenna partner to Samsung and to have had the opportunity to both collaborate on the first UWB antennas to be integrated into their proven product line and supply the main communication band antennas for their new Galaxy Note20, Galaxy Z Fold2, and Galaxy Buds Live products.”

“For the first time on a Galaxy device with UWB, Nearby Share will reach a new level of quick and easy sharing on Galaxy Note20 Ultra,” according to a news release from Samsung Electronics following the first-ever Galaxy Unpacked virtual event. “By simply pointing Galaxy Note20 Ultra to other UWB-equipped Galaxy devices, Nearby Share will automatically list people you’re facing on the top of your sharing panel. Future UWB functionality will also help you find things more accurately with augmented reality (AR) technology and unlock your home as a digital key.”