| Cult of Mac

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.