According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is most likely to introduce its own in-house modem chip. The report says that this chip is likely to arrive by 2025. For a decade, Apple has been using Qualcomm as its main chip. However, after 2018, it decided to break the dependency but failed to do so. The tech giant is trying to equip its iPhones with its own chipsets and is facing major challenges. According to Gurman, even if Apple introduces a new modem on the iPhone models coming next year, it may take years for Apple’s technology to provide major benefits to customers.

According to Gurman’s report, Apple’s in-house modem chip has been delayed until at least next year due to overheating and performance issues. As a result, the upcoming iPhone 16 series, expected to launch soon, will rely on Qualcomm modems instead of Apple’s proprietary technology. It has also extended its supplier agreement with Qualcomm until March 2027, unless it comes with its own modem chipset. Gurman also suggests that the new modem will only be introduced gradually, starting with “specific models”, which means it could take more years to arrive.

Apple’s modem chip timeline

Before partnering with Qualcomm in 2011, Apple used Infineon Technologies AG chips, which were often criticized for poor data connectivity and frequent call drops. Later, from 2016 to early 2020, Apple switched to Intel modems, but they also received complaints about performance issues.

Deploying in-house modems for over a billion users worldwide is quite risky, as it requires extensive global testing in diverse environments to ensure seamless performance and reliability.

Benefits of Apple’s in-house modem

An in-house modem chipset would certainly cut down on manufacturing costs, but it’s hard to tell how beneficial it will be in the near future. The report claims that in the coming years, Apple aims to integrate its modem technology into a unified wireless chip that combines Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and modem capabilities, potentially leading to increased reliability and improved battery life through a single, streamlined connectivity solution.

Eventually, Apple may also consider integrating the wireless chip into the iPhone’s main system on a chip (SoC), which could further save costs, reduce component space, and increase design flexibility. If Apple does indeed achieve this much and moves away from Qualcomm, it could direct resources to new features.