Malcolm Owen
Apple's quest to replace Qualcomm modems with its own in the iPhone and other products will take place over three years, with plans set to replace all of them by 2027.
Apple has been working on its own 5G modem designs for a few years, as part of a wider program of bringing the design work in-house. While the introduction of the component in Apple's hardware lineup is expected to happen soon, it may be a more gradual rollout than you'd expect.
The initial wave of chips will be used by the iPhone SE, according to a source of Bloomberg. Just as raised in previous reports, this would first take place in 2025, though the initial introductions won't be as technologically advanced as Qualcomm's offering.
The report adds that going for low-end products like the iPhone SE at first is due to modem development being quite risky. It's an important component, since dropped calls and missed notifications can be fatal for a smartphone.
It will also apparently only support four-carrier aggregation at first, which is down from the six or more bands that Qualcomm's modems can use.
Later iterations of the modem chips will also get more advanced over time, and therefore should be included in higher-specification hardware too.
Apple's ultimate aim is to get past Qualcomm in terms of technology by 2027. If it can, it should be incorporating its own modem across its ecosystem of devices, with Qualcomm out of sight.
A plausible summary
The Bloomberg report offers a fairly sturdy timeline for Apple's modem rollout. However, a lot of this has been reported before.
The timing of the chip drive seemingly correlates with other reports into the topic, including the initial iPhone SE gambit. It has also been said that it hasn't yet been equipped with mmWave, so it may not get used in upper-tier models at first.
The 2027 replacement date has also been raised by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in September, which adds weigh to the three-year cycle.
Another big reason for the 2027 target is one that's legally and financially motivated.
It was discovered that Apple and Qualcomm extended a global patent license agreement by two years. The extension and a contract for the use of Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF systems will terminate in March 2027.
If Apple can get its modem project to a good-enough state, it won't need to extend that contract and rely on Qualcomm beyond that date.
However, to do that, it has to fix its continuing modem development issues and catch up with Qualcomm's tech.
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William Gallagher
Andrew Orr
Wesley Hilliard
18 Comments
New modems are very high risk products. Apple is taking a big chance by trying to save a few bucks. People already pay a lot for iPhones. Why not give them the best modem technology which is clearly Qualcomm.
It’s worrying that Apple stopped putting the most advanced available Qualcomm modems in their newest handsets. I suppose then the comparisons will be easier. But we have to get less sophisticated and less power efficient modems now so Apple can save face later.
It is very unlikely that Apple will ever get past Qualcomm or Huawei technologically.
Both companies (and others) have far weight in terms of patents, engineering capacity and compatibility with ICT infrastructure.
Most of Apple's modem talent came through the acquisition of Intel's division, which was struggling to deliver and seemingly still is.
Apple is doing far more in the wireless space in terms of research now but I can't see them challenging those who are designing, manufacturing and deploying the systems all phones will have to connect to.
I suspect this timeline will be somewhat optimistic. I fully expect use of their new modem will be slowed by a lawsuit from Qualcomm for patent infringement. Not that Apple is in fact infringing, I suspect they are trying to be scrupulous about not, but that’s the way business works these days.
Can’t wait to see this. What I’m reading from Gurman sounds like all the right decisions are being made.
Better sat-comm performance is very nice too. It’s in the same bucket at more connections in more places.