Kuo: Apple’s self-designed 5G modem will appear in iPhones in 2023 at the earliest

Apple would not want to integrate its own 5G modems in iPhones for the first time until 2023 at the earliest, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said. Earlier, there were rumors that the company would start using its own modems as early as 2022.

Kuo predicts in a message to investors that Apple wants to put its own 5G modem in the iPhones of 2023 at the earliest. The letter is in the hands of MacRumors. Apple has been working on its own 5G modem for some time. The company acquired Intel’s smartphone modem division in 2019. In that year, the company also said that Apple has set 2022 as the deadline for the first iPhone with its own modem. That deadline will probably not be met. Kuo does not say anything about the cause of the delay.

In 2020, the settlement between Apple and Qualcomm revealed that Apple will continue to use Qualcomm modems for four years. That means that in 2024 there will still be Apple smartphones with modems from Qualcomm. However, it is possible that at some point Apple will purchase modems from Qualcomm as well as make its own modems.

Apple still uses Qualcomm’s 5G chips. According to Kuo, that manufacturer will have to divert to supplying makers of cheaper smartphones to compensate for the loss of Apple as a customer. Qualcomm will then be forced to compete for more orders in lower price ranges. As chip shortages diminish, MediaTek and Qualcomm will have less power in negotiations with manufacturers, creating more competitive pressure in the mid-to-lower markets. Kuo.