An iPhone connection indicator
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.
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.
