Apple Plans Three-Year Launch of Its Own iPhone Modem, Starting with iPhone SE

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3 Facebook x.com Reddit Rumor Assessment 🤔 Possible

Apple's attempts to replace Qualcomm modems with its own in the iPhone and other products will be released over three years, with plans to replace them all by 2027.

Apple has been working on its own 5G modem designs for several years as part of a broader program to bring design work in-house. While the component is expected to be introduced into Apple’s hardware lineup soon, it may be a more gradual rollout than one might expect.

According to a Bloomberg source, the first wave of chips will be used in the iPhone SE. As mentioned in previous reports, this will happen in 2025, although the first introductions will not be as technologically advanced as Qualcomm’s offering.

The report adds that the move to low-cost products like the iPhone SE is initially driven by the risk of modem development. This is a critical component, as dropped calls and missed notifications can be fatal to a smartphone.

It will also apparently only support four-carrier aggregation at first, which is less than the six or more bands that Qualcomm modems can use.

Later iterations of the modem chips will also become more advanced over time, and should therefore be included in higher-spec hardware.

Apple's ultimate goal is to overtake Qualcomm in terms of technology by 2027. If that is possible, the company will have to implement its own modem across its entire ecosystem of devices without attracting Qualcomm's attention.

A Plausible Summary

The Bloomberg report offers a fairly robust timeline for Apple's modem rollout. However, much of this has already been reported before.

The timing of the chip-driver release appears to correlate with other reports on the topic, including the initial iPhone SE gambit. It was also said that it doesn't yet feature mmWave, so it may not be used in higher-end models at first.

In September, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also raised the 2027 replacement date, which adds weight to the three-year cycle.

Another major reason for the 2027 target is one that is legally and financially motivated.

Apple and Qualcomm were revealed to have extended their global patent licensing agreement by two years. The extension and contract for Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF systems expires in March 2027.

If Apple can get its modem design good enough, it won’t need to extend that contract or rely on Qualcomm after that date.

However, to do so, it will need to fix its ongoing modem development issues and catch up with Qualcomm’s technology.