Apple’s first in-house developed modem will make its debut in the iPhone SE that launches next year, and then will also be seen in some low-end iPads in 2025. The modem, codenamed Sinop, has been on the market for more than five years. A new report today from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman tells us, according to “people familiar with the matter.”
The next iPhone SE will have support for Apple Intelligence and an “edge-to-edge screen design.” Its Apple-developed modem is “not as advanced” as Qualcomm’s latest modem, which Apple is currently using.
The Apple modem does not support mmWave 5G, only Sub-6. It only has four-carrier aggregation, whereas the latest Qualcomm modems support six or more. In lab tests, Apple’s modem goes up to “about 4Gbps”, which is even slower than Qualcomm’s non-mmWave modem. Real world speeds obviously won’t even come close to this.
While it won’t be as good as Qualcomm’s latest and greatest modem, the clear advantage for Apple is that it won’t have to pay Qualcomm for it. It is also said that the Apple modem will be equipped with an Apple-designed main processor to “use less power, scan for cellular service more efficiently, and better support on-device features such as connecting to satellite networks.” has been tightly integrated with”.
It will also support dual SIM dual standby and its SAR limit will be intelligently managed by the main chip. The Apple modem is made by TSMC. Apple’s modem will work with an Apple-designed radio frequency front-end system called CARPO that helps connect devices to mobile networks.
In 2026, Apple wants to get closer to Qualcomm’s modems in capabilities with its second generation modem. It will join the iPhone 18 family, and top the iPad in 2027. This modem will have mmWave support, six-carrier aggregation when using Sub-6, and eight-carrier aggregation over mmWave.
In 2027, the third generation will arrive and Apple hopes it will eventually top Qualcomm’s offerings with built-in support for “next generation satellite networks” as well as “artificial intelligence features.” He Meaning in the context of a modem.
