Apple could start equipping its smartphones with its in-house modem chip as soon as 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. While the Cupertino company has been working on its own modem technology for years and cut its dependence on Qualcomm's chips, it has reportedly faced several challenges over the past few years, leading to several delays. Even if Apple does introduce a new modem on an upcoming iPhone model next year, it might take years before Apple's technology begins to provide major benefits to customers.
In the latest edition of his weekly Power On newsletter, Gurman details the development of Apple's modem chip, stating that it has been pushed back "until next year at the earliest" due to issues with overheating and performance. This means that the iPhone 16 series, which is expected to arrive within the next couple of months, is likely to be equipped with a Qualcomm modem.
The Bloomberg journalist also says that the new modem would only be introduced gradually, starting with "niche models". This suggests that the arrival of the technology on all of Apple's iPhone models could take a few years.
Last month, TF Securities International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed that the iPhone SE 4 and a "slim" model in the purported iPhone 17 series — expected to launch in Q1 2025 and Q3 2025, respectively — would be equipped with its proprietary technology.
While Apple's move to replace Qualcomm modems on the iPhone might help it cut costs to some extent (it might still have to pay some royalties to Qualcomm) it would take years until the company's chip brings noticeable upgrades over the ones it currently sources from Qualcomm, according to Gurman.
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If Apple's plan to equip future iPhone models with its own modem succeeds, the company could eventually unify it with its system on a chip (SoC) to increase the amount of space available inside an iPhone, making way for newer components, or larger versions of existing ones.
