Apple may be waiting a bit longer than some of its rivals to go 5G, but it will reportedly jump into this cutting-edge networking standard in a big way next year. There will be two 5G iPhone models introduced in 2020, according to a respected analyst.
The first steps of the move from 4G LTE to 5G NR are underway. And tests with one of the first two handsets capable of connecting to Verizon’s version of this faster network show 5G offers amazing speeds but very, very limited range.
The Apple vice president in charge of sourcing 4G and 5G iPhone modems has left. The departure of Rubén Caballero comes as this part of Apple’s business is in transition, with Qualcomm once again available to provide these vital components.
It seems developing a 5G iPhone is going to continue to be more difficult than one might expect.
Details about the 2019 iPhone models are starting to trickle out. Intel CEO seems to have said today that his company will be supplying 4G modems for this device.
Bob Swan’s comment is deliberately oblique, but at least one expert has taken it as an indication that Apple isn’t ready to fully switch to Qualcomm modems in its iPhones.
The end of a protracted legal battle between Apple and Qualcomm paves the way for the chipmaker to supply Apple with 5G modems for the 2020 line of iPhones.
Highly-respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo made the prediction in a research note.
Apple has settled it’s long-running legal dispute with Qualcomm. It almost certainly means that Qualcomm will again supply modem chips for the iPhone. But we won’t see a 5G iPhone any sooner.
A new report warns that Apple will still struggle to catch up with rivals like Samsung, which have already launched 5G handsets, and that the first iPhone with 5G still won’t arrive before 2020.
Most people probably shrugged their shoulders at the news Apple and Qualcomm ended their long, bitter legal war. But this is actually going to benefit every iPhone user.
It means that Apple is almost guaranteed to introduce a handset with super-fast 5G next year. Before now, there was some question about whether that was possible.
Apple apparently has another option for 5G modems. Huawei reportedly is willing to provide future iPhones with these chips.
If true, this significantly improves the chances that a 5G iPhone will launch in 2020. Still, there are reasons to question the wisdom of any such deal.
Well behind arch-rival AT&T, Verizon will begin rolling out its 5G wireless network in two cities early in April.
This is the carrier’s first step in having this faster replacement for LTE available in 30 cities by the end of the year.
Qualcomm needs to settle its lawsuits with Apple soon if it wants to be in the first 5G iPhone. Time is running out on this chip maker to supply 5G modems for Apple’s 2020 offering, according to an industry analyst.
And that would hurt Qualcomm more than Apple.
