iPhone to use Apple's in-house 5G modems by 2023, says analyst

This may be good news for Apple that will no longer have to rely on Qualcomm once its chips are ready.

Apple may be planning to switch to an in-house custom-designed 5G modem as early as the 2023 iPhone models. This would mean that the iPhone maker would have to no longer ask Qualcomm for its 5G modems that power the current generation of iPhone. Apple has been expanding its chip-making business at a steady pace, but the rumours around a 5G baseband chip have been there for a long time now. The new timeline for Apple’s own 5G modems comes courtesy to renowned analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In his recent investors note, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo said Apple’s custom-designed 5G modem on the iPhone will arrive in 2023 “at the earliest.” This pushes back the timeline that rumours were pointing out previously. According to several earlier leaks, Apple would launch the 2022 iPhone with its 5G modems. Right now, Apple sources 5G modems from Qualcomm, but switching to in-house chips will save Apple a lot of expenses. Plus, Apple recently proved its M1 chipset is powerful enough to sustain itself in the market despite being entirely new. It is likely Apple’s own custom-designed 5G modem will prove to be faster and more efficient than what the iPhone 12 series uses.