The mobile phone connector is an important electronic component in the mobile phone, and their quality is directly related to the quality of the mobile phone and the reliability of its use. “While there are no specific statistics, we believe that the main aftermarket quality issues in mobile phones are related to connectors/interconnects. ” said John Xu, business director of Tyco American Capital Co., Ltd.

The types of connectors used in mobile phones vary slightly according to their products. The average number of connectors used is about 5 to 9. The product types can be divided into internal FPC connectors and board-to-board connectors, and externally connected I. /O connector, as well as battery, SIM card connectors, etc. The price of these connectors is about $0.5 to $2.2, with an average of $0.7. Compared to the raw material cost of the phone, which is about $50, it seems a bit insignificant.

Technology Trends: High Density, Small Spacing, Standardization

Since the appearance of the whole product using connectors is a combination of miniaturization, thinning and high performance, this also promotes the development of connector products towards miniaturization and small pitch.

The FPC connector is used for the connection between the LCD display and the drive circuit (PCB). At present, 0.5mm products are mainly used, and 0.3mm products have appeared. With the recent trend of LCD drivers being integrated into LCD devices, the number of pins of the FPC will be reduced accordingly, and related products have already appeared on the market. From a longer-term perspective, in the future, the FPC connector will be expected to be integrated with other mobile phone components and integrated on the frame of the mobile phone or its LCD module. The development trend of board-to-board connectors in mobile phones is that the pin spacing and height are getting smaller and smaller. At present, the spacing is mainly 0.5mm, and it will soon develop to 0.4mm or even smaller.

The I/O connector is one of the important in and out channels in the mobile phone, including the connection between the power supply and the signal. The volume reduction and product standardization will be the main directions of future development. Xu John said that in terms of product specifications, there is still a situation of "separation of heroes", with different standards, and some large manufacturers use their own proprietary designs. At present, circular and MiniUSB connectors are more commonly used, and it is expected to establish a unified industry standard in the future. Mobile phone manufacturers such as Nokia and SEMC have already begun to take substantial steps, and the Japanese market has emerged a kind of - I/O connector standard for CDMA products.

The SIM card connector is mainly 6p, but there are also 8p and 5p products. The future development direction is mainly to improve the SIM card locking mechanism and thickness, reaching an ultra-low thickness of 0.50mm and a more convenient SIM card locking method. and anti-misinsertion function. The battery connector can be divided into two types: communication power supply connection and mobile phone memory design power connection. The former is a necessary device, and the latter is determined according to the product design. Generally, a 2p connector is used. The technical trend of battery connectors is mainly aimed at the following aspects: how to maintain good contact and reduce impedance, how to eliminate the impact of vibration or vibration, etc.

In terms of cable connection, it can be divided into power line connector and signal line connector. One end of the power line connector is connected to the I/O interface connector, and the other end is directly connected to the power supply; one end of the signal line connector is connected to the I/O interface. The connector is connected, and the other end is directly connected to the earphone or speakerphone. In addition to the above products, there are also two-in-one connector products that combine power and signal in the same connection line.

Due to the use of mobile phones, the design of mobile phone connectors must consider vibration and vibration. In addition, the cooperation between the entire mobile phone frame structure and a single connector should also be considered. For example, the reliability of the SIM card connector is related to the mobile phone frame and structure for fixing the SIM card. The increasing abundance of mobile phone applications has put forward stringent requirements on the space occupied by connectors, and at the same time, the number of pins has been continuously increased, which has increased the difficulty for engineers to design.

John Xu said that for vibration and vibration, a solution that has emerged is to use compression technology to replace SMT soldering, or add pads to avoid damage to the PCB and solder joints. Pogo-pin battery connector is also a better solution for mobile phone with vibration function and loose structure. Adding active contacts (i.e. dual contacts, similar to the current popular laptop battery connectors) is another technique to solve this problem.

In addition, with the increase of mobile phone applications, various external storage devices, such as memory sticks and SD memory sticks, must be connected with the corresponding new connectors, which is a development trend. Xiao Yi, Marketing Manager of Amphenol in China, said: "The development trend of connectors for mobile phones is basically to meet the multi-functional requirements of mobile phones. In the future development, the first is standardization, because it needs to be connected with some mobile storage devices, such as memory sticks, mobile hard disks, etc., so there must be a specification agreement, that is, interchangeability and compatibility. The second is transmission speed and anti-interference. The signal transmission speed is getting faster and faster, and better shielding is required. ”

John Xu also introduced another new technology for mobile phone connectors, the company's unique technology of Modular Interconnect Device (MID), which can produce connectors and antennas with plastic through special electroplating technology. “With MID technology we can produce high-speed connectors and antennas and reduce the overall weight of the phone. ” he said.

Market trend: supply and demand balance, price stability

According to a survey by Bishop & Associates, the global mobile phone connector market will increase from about US$398 million in 1999 to about US$729 million in 2003, with an average annual compound growth rate of 16.10% from 1997 to 2003. With the rapid development, the market demand for mobile phones is in the ascendant, and at the same time, the market demand for connectors, which are important accessories for mobile phones, continues to grow. The mobile phone connector industry will still have an average annual growth rate of more than 16% in the future. As far as mobile phone connectors are concerned, the current market value of connector components is relatively high, and the future growth potential is higher in stack connectors, SIM connectors and connectors that can be assembled by SMT.

In addition, due to the continuous decline in the price of mobile phones, the supply of mobile phone components is also developing towards simplifying the design and reducing the number of components. At present, the proportion of FPC connectors used is about half of the entire mobile phone connectors, while the board-to-board connectors are used. The needs of the products also vary from product to product. At present, some mobile phone products do not use board-to-board connectors. John Xu said that the price of mobile phone connectors should remain stable, while Guan Shouhua, business manager of FCI Hong Kong Co., Ltd., said: "The price of mature products in mobile phone connectors will gradually decrease, approaching market demand. ” Table 4: Distribution of Taiwanese mobile phone connector manufacturers in production bases in mainland China.

"In the current market situation, the supply and demand of connectors are very balanced. However, since the market is unpredictable and the existing production capacity may not be able to meet the sudden demand growth, we recommend customers to contact us or other connector suppliers closely and inform them of their forecasts and plans to ensure that when the market demand increases significantly Get timely support. Additionally, we recommend that our clients work with a strong company to guarantee ongoing support. ” said John Xu.

Regarding the customer's question on how to choose a mobile phone connector supplier, Guan Shouhua said: "When choosing FFC/FPC and board-to-board connectors, customers need to know the location and production capacity of the supplier's factory. The closer the factory is, the greater the production capacity and the higher the cost. will be lower. If you choose an I/O connector, because the I/O connector is associated with accessories such as chargers, and your own design will affect the overall cost, it is best to use the existing I/O connector and then adjust the number of pins, etc. Local minor changes. This saves investment costs while also opening up opportunities in the accessory market. "

Strong demand for mobile phone connectors in China

The rapid growth of mobile phone production in China in recent years has driven the rapid demand for mobile phone connectors (see Tables 7 and 8). In 2002, China's mobile phone production reached 131 million units, a substantial increase of 50.3% over 2001. The sales of mobile phone connectors reached 1.35 billion yuan in that year, and the sales volume was 860 million. It is estimated that the demand for mobile phone connectors in 2003 will reach 1.43 billion yuan. 930 million. Among mobile phone connectors, battery connectors, SIM card connectors and FPC connectors have the largest demand, accounting for about 50% of the total demand.

The main suppliers of China's domestic mobile phone connector market are the connector manufacturers in Taiwan, and most of them have already set up factories in mainland China to produce products. In view of the development potential of the mobile phone industry in Taiwan's connector manufacturers, nearly 10 companies have invested in the production of mobile phone connectors. In terms of company size, most of them have a capital of NT$200-1000 million, and the company's annual business Medium-sized connector manufacturers with more than NT$500 million. The mobile phone connector manufacturers in Taiwan with production bases in the mainland are shown in Table 9.

At present, the mobile phone connectors in China's domestic market are mainly products produced by Taiwanese and American manufacturers. Taiwanese manufacturers are mainly represented by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., which have invested and set up factories in Shenzhen and Beijing to supply connector products for mobile phone manufacturers in Shenzhen and Beijing. The world's largest connector manufacturers such as Tyco, Amphenol, and Molex all have product processing bases in mainland China. In addition to exporting, their mobile phone connector products are also sold domestically. They have a good cooperative relationship with most mobile phone manufacturers, understand the latest needs of the mobile phone market and have been investing in accordance with the market and customer needs.

Due to the low production level of domestic high-end mobile phone connectors, there is no domestic company that can supply large quantities of connector products for mobile phones. Sichuan Huafeng Group Co., Ltd. is a research and development and production enterprise of mobile phone surface mount connectors designated by the Ministry of Information Industry. The products have been supplied in batches, but the current market share is not high. Industry insiders said that with the huge market pull and the support of national policies, domestic manufacturers will surely occupy a place in the field of mobile phone connectors.