Qualcomm

Apple extends 5G modem deal with Qualcomm until 2027

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The iPhone 15 Series modem chip upgrade resulted in appropriately faster 5G downloads.
The iPhone 15 Series modem chip upgrade resulted in appropriately faster 5G downloads.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple has extended its modem deal with Qualcomm for almost two years until March 2027. The three-year contract was supposed to expire in 2025.

Apple’s extension of its modem deal with Qualcomm comes as the Cupertino giant struggles to develop its in-house modem.

Apple’s in-house 5G iPhone modem delayed once again

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The iPhone 15 Series modem chip upgrade resulted in appropriately faster 5G downloads.
Apple will have to stick to Qualcomm's 5G modem for the foreseeable future.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple is falling further behind in creating an in-house modem for iPhones. After multiple delays, the company targeted a 2025 spring timeline to ship its first modem. But that’s not going to happen.

A new report signals that Apple has delayed the modem’s launch until the end of 2025 or early 2026.

Tiny new earbuds bring mighty sound, decent noise cancellation [Review][Updated] ★★★★☆

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If you like compact, stemless earbuds with good sound, these are worth a try.★★★★☆
If you like compact, stemless earbuds with good sound, these are worth a try.
Photo: David Snow/Cult of Mac

Don’t want to spend hundreds on great-sounding earbuds? Affordable earbud and speaker maker EarFun unveiled its updated stemless earbuds Monday, EarFun Free Pro 3. They check a lot of quality boxes at a low regular price of $80, or $60 with current discounts (see below).

Like previous EarFun releases, the new buds nail high-quality sound and offer an array of premium features. But in this case, I found the active noise cancellation (ANC) unimpressive — that is, until EarFun sent out firmware update VO.2.1 in early November, and it improved noticeably. 

Why an Apple-made 5G iPhone modem remains only a dream

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An Apple 5G modem might look like this
Apple has poured billions into making its own 5G chip, and so far has nothing to show for it. Here's why.
Artists concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple’s five-year effort to make a 5G modem for the iPhone has so far accomplished little besides spending billions of dollars, according to a new report. The reasons for the failure are myriad but mostly come down to executives underestimating the complexity of the project.

That’s left iPhone-maker dependent on Qualcomm for modems, a company Apple has a very rocky relationship with.

iPhones will use Qualcomm’s 5G modem through 2026

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Apple 5G modem chip
Apple is not giving up on Qualcomm modem for now.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple has renewed its agreement with Qualcomm to use its 5G modems until 2026. The current deal would have expired at the end of 2023.

The three-year deal signals Apple’s in-house modem is still far from ready. Qualcomm itself was expecting Apple to switch to its modem in 2024.

iPhone modem-maker gets ready for faster 5G Advanced in 2024

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iPhone modem maker gets ready for faster 5G Advanced in 2024
The Qualcomm X75 modem will almost certainly appear in a future iPhone and add support for 5G Advanced.
Image: Qualcomm

Qualcomm, the chipmaker that supplies the 5G modems in all iPhones, on Wednesday unveiled the X75, its next-generation modem that will be the first to support 5G Advanced. This emerging cellular-wireless standard will give a speed boost to cellular-wireless networks and make mobile VR/AR more practical.

The X75 probably will be used in the iPhone 16 when it launches in 2024.

Apple’s custom 5G iPhone modem could finally launch in 2024

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Apple 5G modem chip
Qualcomm is slowly but surely getting the boot.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple’s drawn-out effort to make its own 5G modem will reportedly begin to bear fruit in 2024. This will replace ones now sourced from Qualcomm.

And the iPhone-maker is also working to produce other wireless chips it currently gets from Broadcom.

2023 iPhone 15 will continue to use Qualcomm’s 5G modem

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Qualcomm patents
Qualcomm is a vital supplier for Apple until the latter's in-house 5G modem is ready.
Photo: Qualcomm

Apple’s plans of using its in-house modem starting from the iPhone 15 in 2023 are unlikely to pan out. Qualcomm will continue to supply the Cupertino company with the “vast majority” of iPhone modems next year.

The San Diego chipmaker expects Apple to shift to its in-house modem by 2024 at the earliest. It had previously expected to supply the iPhone maker with only 20% of modem chips in 2023.

iPhone 14 Pro provides up to 38% faster 5G speeds

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The iPhone 14 Pro is in the wild on launch day. Just be sure you update to iOS 16.01 before activating with your cellular carrier to avoid problems.
You will get faster 5G data speeds on the iPhone 14 Pro.
Photo: Lewis Wallace/Cult of Mac

Apple is using a faster and more power-efficient Snapdragon X65 modem on the iPhone 14 Pro series. This allows the new iPhones to pull faster download speeds on 5G networks.

The new modem also reduces the latency time. Combined, these improvements will provide a better network connectivity experience on the iPhone 14 Pro.

Apple efforts to make iPhone 5G modems are bombing

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An Apple 5G modem might look like this
We apparently won't see an Apple 5G modem for years to come.
Artists concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly unable to produce the 5G modem for the 2023 iPhone, as it had hoped. It will instead have the buy the critical component from Qualcomm, a company that Cupertino has quarreled with in the past.

Cupertino already sank more than a billion dollars into this so-far-unsuccessful effort.

Unimpressed with 5G? Wait until iPhone 14.

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Unimpressed with 5G? Wait until iPhone 14.
The 2022 iPhone 14 will offer the best 5G service yet thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon X65 modem.
Photo: Qualcomm

When iPhone 14 launches this autumn, it’s expected to offer better 5G performance than its predecessors. The iPhone 13 already offers speedy connections, but a new modem in the 2022 version will bring advantages to the next iOS handset.

Chief among these is better connections in areas with weak 5G signal.

A15 Bionic finally gets real competition from an unlikely source

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MediaTek rivals A15 Bionic
Another blow to Qualcomm.
Image: MediaTek

MediaTek looks set to become the first mobile chipmaker to finally give iPhone 13’s A15 Bionic chip a run for its money in processing performance.

The Taiwanese company’s new Dimensity 9000 chipset, announced late last year, is yet to make its way into an Android device. But early benchmarks suggest it will easily outpace rivals from Google, Samsung and Qualcomm.

Apple staffs up to make its own wireless chips

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An Apple 5G modem might look like this
Apple is hiring experts to design 5G, Wi-FI and Bluetooth chips for its computers.
Artists concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple is reportedly hiring at a new office in Irvine, California, where the company will make 5G modems and other wireless chips for future devices.

It’s the latest move by Apple to expand the number of critical components for its products that it produces in-house.

FTC wants to put a stop to Nvidia’s $40 billion acquisition of Arm

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FTC moves to block Nvidia's acquisition of Arm
The move would "distort Arm's incentives," the FTC said.
Image: Arm/Nvidia/Cult of Mac

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has filed a lawsuit to block Nvidia from acquiring Arm. It believes the move would “distort Arm’s incentives in chip markets” and allow the combined firm to “unfairly undermine Nvidia’s rivals.”

Nvidia is already one of the largest chip companies in the world, while Arm’s technology is licensed to some of the biggest and most powerful brands, including Apple, Samsung, and Qualcomm.

Apple chipmaker will start building iPhone’s custom 5G modems in 2023

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Apple 5G modem chip
Qualcomm is slowly but surely getting the boot.
Image: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Apple’s primary chip production partner, will start manufacturing custom 5G modem chips for iPhone in 2023, according to a new report, which cites four different sources familiar with the plan.

TSMC reportedly will build the chips using a 4-nanometer manufacturing process. The proprietary modems would allow Apple to reduce its reliability on rival chipmaker Qualcomm.

iPhone could ship with Apple’s own 5G modems in 2023

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Tim Cook seems really excited about 5G. Should you be?
Qualcomm will eventually get the boot.
Photo: Apple

Apple is expected to start shipping its own 5G modems for iPhone in 2023. The chips will reduce the company’s reliance on Qualcomm — which is currently a major supplier of cellular chips for Apple devices.

Sources say the modems won’t be integrated into Apple’s primary A-series chipsets for iPhone, but will instead be separate components.

A15 Bionic chip is even better than Apple claims

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iPhone 13 Pro
Good luck, Qualcomm.
Photo: Apple

It’s great when a company releases a product that meets its expectations. It’s even better when it exceeds them. But that’s what you can expect when you buy a new Apple device with the latest A15 Bionic chip.

Independent tests confirm that the A15, which can be found inside iPhone 13 and the newest iPad mini, is even more impressive than Apple led us to believe, easily outpacing the newest mobile chips from the competition.

iPhone 13 might offer service from anywhere via satellite calls and texts

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Globalstar satellites
iPhone 13 will reportedly be able to use satellites to exchange calls and texts.
Photo: Globalstar

The iPhone 13 will offer two-way communication with low Earth orbit satellites, according to a report from a reliable Apple analyst. If the prediction proves correct, making phone calls and exchanging texts via satellite connection will be possible with Apple’s next handset.

Apple could debut its own in-house 5G modems in 2023

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An Apple 5G modem might look like this
An Apple 5G modem is allegedly in development, and could be in iPhones in a few years.
Artists concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple’s transition from using Qualcomm modems to its own 5G designs could roll out as soon as the next couple of years, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests, in a research note seen by Cult of Mac.

Apple’s custom 5G modem might make 2023 iPhone faster than ever

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An Apple 5G modem might look like this
An Apple 5G modem is allegedly in development, and could be in iPhones in a few years.
Artists concept: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

Apple’s move away from Qualcomm modems could begin in 2023. Analysts predict that all the iPhone models released in that year will use 5G modems Apple designed itself.

This is another example of Apple developing critical components for its products in-house rather than depending on an outside company.

Qualcomm’s 10 gigabit 5G modem likely to show up in future iPhones

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The next iPhone might use the speedy Snapdragon X65 5G modem
The Snapdragon X65 modem has just about everything the next 5G iPhone could need.
Graphic: Qualcomm

Qualcomm unveiled a 5G modem that potentially could increase the network speed of future iPhones. The new Snapdragon X65 promises 10 gigabit per second connections, as well as reduced battery drain.

In its announcement Tuesday, the chip maker didn’t specifically say the modem is headed for Apple products, but the iPhone 12 uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X55 modem for 5G. And the two companies have a multiyear chipset supply agreement.

Apple cracks on with building its own mobile modems

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qualcomm.modem.chip
Apple currently relies on modems designed by Qualcomm.
Photo: Qualcomm

Apple has started building its own cellular modems for use in future devices. Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, made the announcement to employees Thursday during a virtual town hall meeting.

The company currently relies on Qualcomm modems, after restoring its relationship with the company following a prolonged clash over patents and royalties. However, Apple has made no bones about its desire to bring this part of its manufacturing in-house. It even bought Intel’s modem business for $1 billion in 2019, the second-largest acquisition in Apple history.