TY - JOUR
T1 - Multiband Antennas for Modern Smartphones
T2 - A Review from Sub-1 GHz to Millimeter-Wave and Toward 6G
AU - Fan, Yiming
AU - Dong, Rongrong
AU - Wu, Yuming
AU - Deng, Changjiang
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 by the authors.
PY - 2026/8
Y1 - 2026/8
N2 - The rapid development of wireless communication systems has increased the complexity of smartphone antenna design. Modern terminals are required to simultaneously support Sub-1 GHz cellular bands, 5G New Radio (NR), millimeter-wave communication, satellite links, and emerging sensing services within limited physical space. As a result, multiband operation has become a central challenge for mobile terminals. This paper reviews the recent research advances in multiband smartphone antennas, organized according to the evolution from single-antenna to multi-antenna architectures and including both Sub-6 GHz and millimeter-wave applications. Single-antenna Sub-3 GHz techniques, multiband multi-antenna systems, dual-band millimeter-wave antennas, and integrated Sub-6 GHz/millimeter-wave architectures are systematically summarized. The key technologies, including multi-mode cooperation, characteristic-mode design, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) decoupling, and shared-aperture integration, are discussed. The emerging B5G/6G-oriented technologies are also highlighted. This review provides an overview of current design strategies and future trends for next-generation multiband smartphone antennas.
AB - The rapid development of wireless communication systems has increased the complexity of smartphone antenna design. Modern terminals are required to simultaneously support Sub-1 GHz cellular bands, 5G New Radio (NR), millimeter-wave communication, satellite links, and emerging sensing services within limited physical space. As a result, multiband operation has become a central challenge for mobile terminals. This paper reviews the recent research advances in multiband smartphone antennas, organized according to the evolution from single-antenna to multi-antenna architectures and including both Sub-6 GHz and millimeter-wave applications. Single-antenna Sub-3 GHz techniques, multiband multi-antenna systems, dual-band millimeter-wave antennas, and integrated Sub-6 GHz/millimeter-wave architectures are systematically summarized. The key technologies, including multi-mode cooperation, characteristic-mode design, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) decoupling, and shared-aperture integration, are discussed. The emerging B5G/6G-oriented technologies are also highlighted. This review provides an overview of current design strategies and future trends for next-generation multiband smartphone antennas.
KW - Sub-6 GHz/millimeter-wave integration
KW - millimeter-wave antennas
KW - mobile terminal antennas
KW - multi-antenna systems
KW - multiband smartphone antennas
KW - reconfigurable antennas
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105048614168
U2 - 10.3390/s26165156
DO - 10.3390/s26165156
M3 - Review article
C2 - 42655464
AN - SCOPUS:105048614168
SN - 1424-8220
VL - 26
JO - Sensors
JF - Sensors
IS - 16
M1 - 5156
ER -