Rumor: Apple will use Intel lte modem for iPhones in 2016

Apple is reportedly in the process of making a switch from Qualcomm to Intel in LTE modems for its iPhones. Intel’s XMM 7360 lte modem would appear in iPhones intended for emerging markets. This should happen in 2016.

Apple technicians have been visiting the Intel factories in Munich for months to make the XMM 7360 lte modem suitable for the iPhone, Venture Beat writes citing anonymous sources. It concerns the former factories of Infineon, which was acquired by Intel in 2010 and where the chip giant has its research centers for LTE products.

Intel introduced its XMM 7360 lte modem earlier this week. This economical modem must be lte cat. Support 10, 29 LTE ​​channels and up to 3x carrier aggregation, for a maximum throughput of 450Mbit/s. The first products with the modem should appear in the second half of 2015, but Apple would therefore like to integrate the component in a model of its future upcoming A-series of SOCs in 2016.

Intel is eagerly looking for partners for its mobile chip products. With its Atom Bay Trail chips, the manufacturer has gained some market share in tablets, but Intel does not play a significant role in the smartphone area. For this year, the company is targeting the midrange and low-end with its Atoms, but next year the Broxton soc for the high-end segment should hit the market.

The presence of an Intel modem in an iPhone would be a welcome calling card for Intel. According to Venture Beat, it is striking that the special iPhones are intended for emerging markets in Asia and Latin America. Apple has so far not made any concessions on, for example, price with its iPhones. The iPhone 5C with a plastic housing turned out to be more expensive after introduction than had been predicted.