Apple ambitions are about to come true

After years of development and failure, Apple self-developed 5G modem may appear on 2 iPhone models launched in 2025.

The word “5G” appeared at the Steve Jobs Theater during the iPhone 12 launch ceremony. Photo: Apple.

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from TF International Securities, Apple will equip its self-developed 5G modem from 2025 on 2 devices, including the 4th generation iPhone SE and the ultra-thin version of the iPhone 17.

Apple is accelerating the process of reducing dependence on Qualcomm. In 2025, 2 iPhone models will eliminate Qualcomm’s 5G chip and equip it with Apple self-developed 5G chip: iPhone SE4 (first quarter of 2025) and ultra-thin iPhone 17 (third quarter of 2025),” Kuo wrote on social network X.

According to Kuo, Apple will deploy its own 5G modem in a slow, phased manner. Therefore, instead of switching all 2025 iPhone models to exclusive 5G chips, the company plans to use on 2 models that are not in the mass lineup.

The equipping of self-developed 5G chips on 2 devices means that other 2025 iPhone models will still use Qualcomm 5G chips, including the iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max. Of course, the entire iPhone 16 series this year will use Qualcomm chips.

If the plan goes well and Apple decides to mass-produce, it is likely that the self-developed 5G chip will appear on the entire 2026 iPhone series and others, 9to5Mac said.

Apple has been working on 5G modems on its own for years but to no avail. In 2019, Apple acquired most of Intel’s smartphone modem business with 2,200 employees, then continued to hire engineers. This move took place right after Apple and Qualcomm failed to reach an agreement on patent copyright and continuously dragged each other to court

However, the long-running litigation between Apple and Qualcomm was suddenly resolved in April 2019. Apple once again signed a contract to buy Qualcomm modems, continuing to use Qualcomm’s 5G chips for iPhones and iPads.

According to MacRumors, Apple wants to use Intel’s 5G modem for the 2020 iPhone series. However, the plan was scrapped because Intel could not produce a standard modem.

The first chip prototypes in 2022 made the board take up half of the phone space. The lack of resources caused Apple 5G modem design to malfunction, overheat and drain the battery.

In addition, the iPhone works with more than 100 carriers, so the testing process needs to take place for a long time, PhoneArena said.

Earlier this year, Apple signed a new contract with Qualcomm to continue using 5G modems until March 2027. However, the company may gradually phase out Qualcomm chips sooner, even trying to complete the contract without an iPhone.