Tag: modem
New iPhone SE With Apple-Designed 5G Modem Said to Launch in 2025
This information comes two months after analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple restarted development of a fourth-generation iPhone SE with a 6.1-inch OLED display and an Apple-designed 5G modem. He said the modem would be built with TSMC’s 4nm process and support sub-6GHz bands only, meaning that mmWave would not be supported initially.
Kuo said mass production of the fourth-generation iPhone SE would begin in the first half of 2024, and Qualcomm’s CEO also anticipated a 2024 timeframe for Apple’s modem, but Pu believes the device’s launch has been delayed until 2025.
The current iPhone SE was released in March 2022 and is equipped with Qualcomm’s custom Snapdragon X57 chip for sub-6GHz 5G. The 4.7-inch device is Apple’s last iPhone with a Home button and Touch ID, but Face ID is likely for the new model, as Kuo said the device will have a similar design as the standard iPhone 14 model.
Apple acquired the majority of Intel’s smartphone modem business in 2019 in an effort to design its own iPhone modem, a move that would reduce its dependance on Qualcomm. It’s unclear if Apple’s modem will offer any customer-facing benefits compared to Qualcomm’s modems, such as faster 5G performance or improved power efficiency.
This article, “New iPhone SE With Apple-Designed 5G Modem Said to Launch in 2025” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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Go back to a time when a 56k modem made you a god among geeks with Neuromancer
Apple’s Rumored 5G Modem for iPhones Has Suppliers Competing for Orders
While the custom-designed modem will likely be manufactured by Apple’s chipmaking partner TSMC, the final packaging stage may be handled by other suppliers. Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes today reported that ASE Technology and Amkor Technology are “competing” to package the modem chips. The two companies already have experience packaging Qualcomm’s modem chips, the report states.
Qualcomm is currently the exclusive supplier of 5G modems for Apple devices, including the entire iPhone 14 lineup, but Apple has long been rumored to be designing its own 5G chip as an in-house replacement. Last month, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said he expected Apple’s 5G modem to be ready in 2024, but Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reported that it could take up to three years for Apple to fully transition away from Qualcomm.
The first device expected to be equipped with Apple’s custom 5G modem is the fourth-generation iPhone SE, which will likely be released around March 2024. It’s unclear how Apple’s chip would perform compared to Qualcomm’s modems, but the switch to an in-house design would likely reduce Apple’s production costs over time.
In the meantime, all iPhone 15 models are expected to be equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X70 modem, which has further cellular speed and power efficiency improvements compared to the Snapdragon X65 in all iPhone 14 models.
This article, “Apple’s Rumored 5G Modem for iPhones Has Suppliers Competing for Orders” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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Qualcomm’s new modem will give your future smartphone better battery life
Apple to Start Transitioning Away From Qualcomm Modem Chips in Late 2024 or 2025
Apple initially wanted to introduce its own modem chips as early as 2023, but Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in late 2022 that Apple would need to continue to rely on Qualcomm in the near future as Apple’s development efforts “failed.” At the time, Kuo said that Apple would continue working on its 5G chips, but that development would not be done in time for the launch of the 2023 iPhones, which Bloomberg‘s report agrees with. Modem chip development has seen delays, and Apple will use a slow rollout to end its reliance on Qualcomm. Apple will start with using its own modem chip in a single device before expanding the rollout to other devices. The transition away from Qualcomm could take up to three years.
In addition to transitioning to its own in-house chips starting in 2024, Apple wants to stop using wireless components from Broadcom in 2025. Apple is working on a WiFi and Bluetooth chip that would replace the components that it is currently sourcing from Broadcom. Apple in 2020 signed a three and a half-year deal with Broadcom for wireless components and modules, with that deal set to expire midway through 2023.
While separate components to replace hardware sourced from Qualcomm and Broadcom are in development right now, Bloomberg says Apple is also working on a chip that will combine the cellular modem, WiFi, and Bluetooth functions into a single component. Broadcom also supplies Apple with radio-frequency chips and chips for wireless charging, both of which Apple is working on replacing.
Apple designs its own A-series chips for the iPhone and M-series chips for the Mac, and replacing modem chips and wireless components has been a priority ever since its Qualcomm dispute. Apple launched a legal battle against Qualcomm in 2017, accusing Qualcomm of unfairly collecting royalties for technologies it had nothing to do with. Apple wanted to transition away from Qualcomm with the shift to 5G to stop paying Qualcomm’s fees and instead use Intel technology, but Intel was not able to manufacture 5G chips that met Apple’s standards.
Apple was forced to settle its lawsuit with Qualcomm and has since used Qualcomm 5G modem chips for the iPhone and iPad lineups. Apple in 2019 purchased Intel’s modem chip business to get a head start on chip development, and 2024 may be the soonest that the technology is finally advanced enough for Apple to phase out Qualcomm.
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iPhone 15 Rumored to Still Feature Qualcomm 5G Modem as Apple Continues Work on Custom Chip
Apple is currently developing an in-house 5G modem that aims to replace Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 5G chips within the coming years. The report today says that TSMC will be the main supplier of the Qualcomm 5G chip for use in the iPhone 15 series, using the 5nm and 4nm process.
The iPhone 14 series includes the Snapdragon X65 modem, which helps improve 5G speeds and battery life. The iPhone 15 is rumored to include the more advanced X70 chip, which features artificial intelligence capabilities for faster average speeds, improved coverage, better signal quality, lower latency, and up to 60% improved power efficiency.
Reports initially suggested Apple would make its switch to in-house 5G modems as soon as 2023, but follow-up reports suggested Apple had “failed” on the chip’s development and will continue to use Qualcomm modems for the foreseeable future.
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Apple to Continue Using Qualcomm Modem Chips for 2023 iPhone 15 Models
Qualcomm in November 2021 said that it expected to supply 20 percent of Apple’s modem chips in 2023, signaling a potential shift to Apple’s own modem chips. Apple has been working to cut down on its reliance on Qualcomm by developing its own modem technology in-house, but it does not appear that Apple’s chips will be ready for a 2023 launch.
Gurman’s report echoes information that we previously heard from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo said in June 2022 that Apple’s work on a 5G modem chip “failed,” and that Qualcomm would remain Apple’s modem supplier for the 2023 iPhone lineup.
Kuo said that development on the chip stalled, but the work is ultimately continuing. Apple is expected to create its own modem chip, but it will take more time for work to be completed and satisfactory for use in iPhones and other devices.
Apple launched a legal battle against Qualcomm in 2017, accusing Qualcomm of unfairly collecting royalties for technologies it had nothing to do with. Apple wanted to transition away from Qualcomm with the shift to 5G to stop paying Qualcomm’s fees and instead use Intel technology, but Intel was not able to manufacture 5G chips that met Apple’s standards.
Apple was forced to settle its lawsuit with Qualcomm and has since used Qualcomm 5G modem chips for the iPhone and iPad lineups. Apple has been working on its own modem chip since then, and even purchased Intel’s modem chip business to get a head start. Initial rumors pinpointed 2023 as the year Apple would be ready to transition, but it looks like it will take a bit longer for Apple to end its modem deals with Qualcomm.
This article, “Apple to Continue Using Qualcomm Modem Chips for 2023 iPhone 15 Models” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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Qualcomm Predicted to Remain 5G Modem Supplier for iPhone 15 and iPhone 16
In a research note on Friday, Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu said he expects iPhone models released in 2024 to use Qualcomm’s as-yet-unannounced Snapdragon X75 modem. Like the Snapdragon X70, the X75 is expected to be manufactured based on TSMC’s 4nm process, contributing to power efficiency improvements.
In June, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo indicated that Qualcomm would remain the exclusive supplier of 5G modems for new iPhone models in 2023 given that Apple failed to complete development of its own replacement chip. At the time, Kuo said he believed that Apple would continue to develop its own 5G chip, but he did not provide a timeframe for when the chip would be ready for use in iPhones.
All four iPhone 15 models are expected to be equipped with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon X70 modem, announced in February. Like the Snapdragon X65 modem in iPhone 14 models, the X70 theoretically supports up to 10 Gbps download speeds, with newly added artificial intelligence capabilities for faster average speeds, improved coverage, better signal quality, lower latency, and up to 60% improved power efficiency.
All in all, while initial reports claimed that Apple’s own 5G modem could debut in iPhones as early as 2023, the switchover might take at least a few years longer.
This article, “Qualcomm Predicted to Remain 5G Modem Supplier for iPhone 15 and iPhone 16” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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