Apple has long followed a strategy of consolidating the hardware supply chain within its own circle. Shifting away from Intel to in-house M-series processors was one of the biggest bets in recent memory. Now, the company is eyeing the same strategy for a critical part that allows iPhones to, well, act like phones.
According to Apple tipster Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, Apple will finally put its own cellular modem inside iPhones and iPads starting next year. The plans will be executed over three years, spanning three generations of modems, to end Apple’s reliance on Qualcomm for the part.
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The first one in the series is internally named Sinope, and it will make its appearance starting with the iPhone SE 4 next year. The highly-awaited refresh is also rumored to embrace a modern design that finally sheds the old Touch ID aesthetics with thick bezels, an updated processor, and support for Apple Intelligence.
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In addition to the iPhone SE 4, the modem is also said to appear inside the iPhone 17 Slim (or Air), a dramatically thinner new model that will launch in the second half of 2025. Moreover, it will make its way to low-end tablets, too, most likely inside the upcoming refresh for the entry-point iPad.
Qualcomm X65 cellular modem.
Qualcomm cellular hardware fitted inside iPhone 15. @MokhtariShahram / xhttps://x.com/mokhtarishahram/status/1711138449103995327
This modem, however, won’t be the fastest around or even the most technically rewarding option out there, especially when compared to the solutions offered by Qualcomm. For example, it will be limited to Sub-6GHz frequency band and won’t offer support for mmWave 5G, which reaches a peak theoretical speed of up to 10Gbps.
On the positive side, Sub-6GHz forms the backbone of 5G deployment globally, especially in developing countries. A core reason for that is because that Sub-6GHz offers better coverage and signal penetration, which makes it ideal for mass deployment and in non-urban centers.
Also, the current-gen iPhone SE doesn’t offer mmWave 5G bands, so there’s that. The Sinope cellular modem will also offer a tighter carrier aggregation (four vs six on Qualcomm modems), a system that combines frequency blocks from multiple carriers to offer increased bitrate due to higher collective bandwidth.
“In lab tests, the first Apple modem caps out at download speeds of about 4 gigabits per second, less than the top speeds offered by non-mmWave Qualcomm modems,” says the Bloomberg report. The report, however, adds that real-world speeds are far less. The company is also planning to serve dual-SIM dual-standby cellular data facility with its modem.
What Apple is doing differently is integrating the cellular modem more deeply with the rest of the innards. The cellular modem will be manufactured by Apple’s usual partner, TSMC, and it will be closely linked with the main A-series silicon to achieve higher energy efficiency and better cellular networking.
Qualcomm X65 cellular modem.
Qualcomm
In 2026, an upgraded cellular modem codenamed Ganymede will be fitted inside the iPhone 18 series and higher-end iPads that will hit the shelves in 2027. This one will support faster mmWave 5G and better carrier aggregation. Down the road, Apple is hoping to merge the modem into the main board.
Apple’s best attempt will reportedly pan out in 2027 with a third iteration labeled Prometheus, named after the Greek mythological figure who gifted fire to mankind. This one will seek to topple Qualcomm’s cellular modems in terms of raw performance and support for satellite connectivity.
Interestingly, Apple’s modem ambitions only picked up steam after poaching talent from Qualcomm. Apple acquired Intel’s smartphone modem business in 2019, but its initial goals were reportedly hobbled by technical issues, leading to multiple delays.
Interestingly, in an interview with Digital Trends at IFA 2023, Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon quipped that it would take Apple years to develop its own cellular modem and that he was “confident about our ability to be a supplier to Apple.”