When will Apple make its own modem?

Qualcomm boss Cristiano Amon said at the MWC 2023 conference that Apple's long-talked 5G chip could be ready next year. He also added that Apple is always ready if they need them. Currently, all Apple devices, including the iPhone 14 series, have Qualcomm's 5G modem. It has been talked about for a long time that Apple is designing its own 5G chip. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said last month that Apple initially plans to use its own chip in a new product (possibly the iPhone Pro), and will gradually stop using Qualcomm's modems in about three years. According to Amon's statement, Apple's 5G chip will be in the earliest iPhone 16 models.

It is unclear how Apple's chip will perform compared to Qualcomm's modems, but it is certain that Apple will cut production costs. Meanwhile, the 2023 iPhone 15 series is expected to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon X70 modem.

According to Kuo, the Apple 5G chip may not catch up with the iPhone 16 models. It all depends on whether Apple can fix the technical difficulties with the MMWAVE and satellite link.