According to Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is finally starting to see the end of the tunnel in the design of its own 5G modems. Soon, iPhones could begin to abandon Qualcomm… a long-standing supplier that Apple has wanted to get rid of for years.
It was a long-term project for Apple, but it is finally starting to come to fruition. Started in 2019 after the purchase of part of Intel’s Modem division, the internal development of a 5G chip should allow Apple to separate as soon as possible from its long-standing supplier: the cumbersome Qualcomm. This project should finally come to fruition… but with a few years delay.
We learn from Ming-Chi Kuo that Apple would finally see the end of the tunnel in this matter, with in-house modems ready by 2025. This estimate from the often well-informed TF International analyst has the merit to corroborate previous information also pointing to a transition to proprietary modems within two years.
Apple will soon be ready to break free from Qualcomm
If the arrival of 5G chips from Apple is confirmed for 2025, this would mean that the iPhone 15 (which Apple must announce next week) and the iPhone 16 will remain equipped with Qualcomm modems in the meantime. The iPhone 17, on the other hand, would be the first model capable of turning its back on the San Diego giant, with which Apple is forced to collaborate. In the same vein, the next iPhone SE (fourth generation) would also be equipped with a 5G chip designed in-house, since this version would also be expected in 2025, at least according to certain estimates.
Note, however, that we do not know at this stage what additional Apple’s 5G chips would have compared to those of Qualcomm. On the other hand, we know that Apple would in parallel develop its own network chip dedicated to both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity… and that the latter would also be ready in 2025. This would then be an additional step in iPhone manufacturing less dependent on external subcontractors.
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