Shortly after a previous report talked about the 2023 iPhones featuring only 20 percent of Qualcomm’s 5G modems, new info surrounding Apple’s own 5G modem has surfaced. Apparently, all iPhone models expected to launch a couple of years from now will only get the company’s baseband chip and it will not be sourced from a third-party supplier.
TSMC Likely Aiding Apple in Mass Producing Its First Ever 5G Modem
Just like the earlier report, DigiTimes agrees that the 2023 iPhones will feature 5G modems developed by Apple, with the company likely getting help from none other than TSMC. However, unlike Qualcomm’s executive’s beliefs, the new report states that Apple will ditch the San Diego chipmaker and resort to using its own 5G modems in 2023. We do not believe that will not be the case, because according to a six-year partnership, Apple will continue to use Qualcomm’s chips, with indications that it will continue to be supplied these parts during 2024.
It is possible Qualcomm continues to provide fewer shipments to Apple since it does not look like the technology giant will immediately cut off its only supplier in this category. Also, whatever name Apple decides to give its 5G modem, it will remain separate from the A-series die, meaning it will not be integrated. The report does not clarify why Apple is taking this approach as integrated 5G modems not only save up valuable space inside a smartphone but are also considered more power-efficient.
Back in 2020, Apple’s Johny Srouji said that the technology giant started development work on its custom modem, so it will slowly start to depend less and less on Qualcomm’s solutions in the near future. Ming-Chi Kuo, a renowned analyst, predicted that Apple’s first 5G baseband chip will arrive in 2023, though some experts claim that this road for the company will be more complicated than just developing regular chips for iPhones, iPads, and Macs.
Those experts say that completion of those custom 5G modems is not expected until 2025 but it appears that Apple is already moving beyond their estimates and will likely ready a solution in two years’ time.
News Source: DigiTimes
