iPhone 15, iPhone 16 Tipped to Use Qualcomm Modems; Apple 5G Chip Said to Be Delayed Until 2025

iPhone 14 and iPhone 15, expected to be launched in 2023 and 2024, will continue to be powered by Qualcomm 5G modem chips, according to an analyst.

Written by Anees Hussain, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 11 October 2022 18:49 IST

iPhone 15, iPhone 16 Tipped to Use Qualcomm Modems; Apple 5G Chip Said to Be Delayed Until 2025

Photo Credit: Reuters

The upcoming iPhone models for the next two years are tipped to debut without Apple's 5G modem

Highlights

iPhone 15 could feature a Qualcomm X70 modem
Apple's is working on its own 5G modem
Qualcomm tipped to hold 100 percent supply share for Apple

iPhone models set to be released in 2023 and 2024 that include the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16, will reportedly continue to feature Qualcomm's recently announced Snapdragon X70 chipset and the yet-to-be-announced Snapdragon X75 modem. The upcoming iPhone models for the next two years are tipped to debut without Apple's 5G modem, which is said to be in development. Qualcomm X75 is expected to be manufactured based on TSMC's 4nm process, intended to contribute to power efficiency improvements. Earlier in June, another analyst had indicated that Qualcomm would continue to serve as the exclusive supplier of 5G modems for new iPhone models that will release through 2023.

According to a research note by Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu seen by MacRumors, the iPhone 15, which could be launched in 2023, and the iPhone 16 that is expected in 2024, may be equipped with Qualcomm X70 and X75 modems, respectively, The company, in recent years, has been trying to develop its own 5G modem in order to reduce its dependence on Qualcomm as a supplier.

TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously noted that iPhone models released in 2023 would be powered by Apple's own 5G modem chip, with only 20 percent supply share remaining with Qualcomm. However, according to a tweet by Kuo, these efforts may have "failed" to be delivered on time which means that 100 percent supply share of 5G modem chips or Apple iPhones will remain with Qualcomm.

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[Company Update] Qualcomm (QCOM.O)

My latest survey indicates that Apple's own iPhone 5G modem chip development may have failed, so Qualcomm will remain exclusive supplier for 5G chips of 2H23 new iPhones, with a 100% supply share (vs. company's previous estimate of 20%).
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) June 28, 2022

iPhone 15 models due to be launched in 2023 are expected to be equipped with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X70 modem, which was announced by the American semiconductor company in February this year. The Snapdragon X70 modem supports up to 10 Gbps download speed, along with added artificial intelligence capabilities for improved average speeds, coverage, signal quality, lower latency, and up to 60 percent higher power efficiency.

According to the predictions Apple's own 5G modem chipset is only likely to be ready to be loaded on iPhone models by the year 2025, a two-year delay from previous predictions. According to an earlier report, Apple is planning to partner with TSMC for the production of company's own iPhone 5G modem chips for future smartphones. The modem was said to be designed and tested at 5nm before moving to mass production in 2023 at 4nm.

Apple bought Intel's 5G modem division in 2019 after Qualcomm and Apple agreed to end a costly modem technology patent dispute, with Qualcomm receiving more than $4 billion (roughly Rs. 29,800 crore) as part of the settlement.

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