While not as exciting as a new render or leak of the iPhone 15, Qualcomm teased some Apple news at Mobile World Congress this week. According to CEO Cristiano Amon, time is running out for the company’s multi-year commitment to supply 5G modems for the iPhone.
In an interview with CNBC, Amon said: “We are not making any plans for 2024, my planning assumption is that we are not providing [Apple] a 24 modem, but it’s their decision to make. Apple has been using Qualcomm’s 5G modems since the iPhone 12 introduced the new wireless connectivity, and the iPhone 15 is expected to include a Qualcomm part as well, likely the X70. The iPhone 14 uses Qualcomm’s X65 modem.
Apple has been working on its own 5G modem for years. In 2019, it acquired “the majority” of Intel’s smartphone modem business after Intel announced it was ceasing development of the modem. Apple has reportedly been working on its own version of a 5G modem since early 2020.
Earlier this week, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo announced that Apple would launch the modem in the upcoming iPhone SE, which currently uses Qualcomm’s X57 modem and only supports the slower sub-6GHz 5G. The X65 modem in the iPhone 14 supports both sub-6 GHz and the higher-speed mmWave.
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard of this from Qualcomm. Last year, the company also expected Apple to switch to its own modems for the iPhone 14, but Apple reportedly hit a snag in its development. It’s unclear whether Amon’s comments are speculative or based on industry analysis and rumors.
Once Apple launches the modem in the iPhone, it should arrive quickly in its other products as well, including the iPad and Apple Watch.
