We’ve been hearing about Apple’s in-house cellular modem chip for quite some time now. Although reports last year stated that the firm abandoned the idea with the cancellation of the iPhone SE 4, we most recently got a report that the handset, along with the in-house 5G model was back in the cards for a future release. While this was pretty much all rumor at this point, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon set the record straight during an interview at Mobile World Congress, letting the world know that Qualcomm currently has “no plans” to provide Apple with modem chips in 2024.
The interview conducted by CNBC touched on a number of subjects, but one of the main items was that Qualcomm currently does not have plans to supply Apple with any modem chips in 2024. This comes from Apple’s side, as the company has yet to put in an order with Qualcomm, suggesting that it could use its own hardware. Amon also reiterated the company’s past position, when it stated a couple of years ago that it would be supplying chips to Apple this year, but not 2024, and in the end, it would ultimately be up to Apple whether it wanted to continue its relationship.
Apple has pushed hard in recent years to use its own hardware, moving away from Intel processors in its computing products, and dedicating as many resources as possible to bolstering its A series and M series processors. Of course, introducing untested new silicon to a platform, especially the iPhone, is quite a big step, and the company seems to understand this. While putting new hardware in its best iPhone is the ultimate goal, Apple wanted to test its modems first, by introducing it with the next generation iPhone SE.
Of course, things could always change, but if all things fall into place, we could be seeing entirely new chips added to iPhone handsets as early as next year. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of advancements or benefits will arrive with these new chips.