Apple has been researching for five years, and the iPhone 15 still hasn't been able to use its own 5G chip.

October 09, 2023

Although Apple's own 5G cellular modem chip has been discussed for years, but the latest release of the iPhone 15 is still missing its trace, it is clear that Apple designers have encountered obstacles in the process of creating their own 5G modem chip.

Revised sentence: In 2019 for nearly $1 billion, sparking news of Apple's ambitious plans to develop its own cellular modem chips.

While building a good cellular modem can be challenging despite common building blocks like radio frequency (RF), subsequent reports revealed that Apple had been working on its own modem chips since 2018 and acquired Intel's business in the process.
Qualcomm Snapdragon X70 chip
Qualcomm has a stake in this race. According to analysts at UBS, 21% of the company's 2022 revenue will come from supplying chips to Apple, totaling $7.6 billion. Qualcomm claims to have the best smartphone modem chips, which are crucial for the cellular speed and energy efficiency of 5G phones.

While Apple's plans for custom 5G modem chips will certainly continue, it doesn't look like it's up to the critical tasks in the iPhone 15. In fact, some industry reports also reflect Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon's view of Apple's self-developed modem chip. These reports claim that Apple's own modem chip will be used in the iPhone SE 4, and the release date is likely to fall around March 2024.

If the iPhone SE 4 is unable to support 5G millimeter wave bands, it will reduce the performance and energy efficiency standards of Apple's homemade modem chips. At the same time, the company can also test its performance for future iphones.