Apple has extended its contract with Qualcomm until March 2027. This agreement allows Apple to continue using Qualcomm’s modem technology in future iPhone products, Qualcomm said.
Apple has been working on developing its own 5G modem for the past few years. This technology will help the company not rely on Qualcomm for 5G chips, but Apple’s progress has encountered some delays.
In November 2023, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman said Apple’s modem development work had been postponed until late 2025 or 2026 and further delays could occur. Initially, Apple aimed to have its self-designed 5G modem ready by 2024. Then, the company wanted to introduce the modem on the iPhone SE launched in the spring of 2025, but it also could not achieve its goal. that goal, according to MacRumors.
Mr. Gurman said that Apple is “many years away” from being able to create a chip that can perform equivalently or better than Qualcomm’s chip.
Apple is said to have had problems with the code it used after acquiring Intel’s modem business. Apple had to rewrite the code, and adding new features caused existing features to break. Apple also avoided infringing on Qualcomm’s patents during modem development.
models iPhone 16 Pro launching in 2024 are rumored to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X75 modem with an improved and more power-efficient transceiver.