This is Apple’s plan to use its own 5G modems in iPhones and end Qualcomm

Apple has been working on this for several years. your own 5G modem for iPhoneand their plans are much more ambitious than previously thought. A new report from Mark Gurman claims the company plans release component in 2025 with iPhone SE 4but it also lays out the roadmap for the coming years, and the goal seems clear: to end addiction once and for all. Qualcomm.

The fact that Cupertino residents are planning to equip the iPhone SE 4 with the first 5G modem is not new. In October 9to5Mac I have already improved it along with other features of the said smartphone. However, a new publication Bloomberg gives a more detailed look at the California firm’s program.

In addition to the iPhone SE 4, Gurman points out that Apple plans to introduce the first generation of its 5G modem in iPhone 17 Slim (or Air) And Initial versions of iPad which will also appear in 2025. Tim Cook’s team’s idea was to implement a gradual rollout strategy to avoid the potential inconvenience of early adoption on higher-end hardware.

Developing its own 5G modem turned out to be much more difficult than Apple initially expected. In 2019, the company bought the Intel division dealing with components of this type, but the first results were not very encouraging.

The initial prototypes did not work properly, were too large and suffered from overheating. At the time, it was said that the company’s biggest obstacle was the software, originally created by Intel, whose code had to be almost completely rewritten. There were also rumors that Cupertino residents had actually abandoned the project, although it was never clear whether this was actually the case.

Report Bloomberg states that The story changed when Apple began hiring engineers with Qualcomm experience.. From now on, the initiative would go on the right track. This would allow enough progress to be made to prepare the first commercial version of the 5G modem for the iPhone SE 4.

Apple’s 5G modem debuts in iPhone SE 4, but future plans are much more ambitious

Gurman says the 5G modem, which will debut in the iPhone SE 4 and other Apple devices in 2025, is known internally as Sinope. It also mentions that this component has some limitations compared to the Qualcomm parts that the company uses in its devices today. Its download speeds will reach 4Gbps, up from the 10Gbps offered by the current provider’s modems, and it won’t support millimeter wave or millimeter wave.

Regardless, it will be a pretty solid first step that will pave the way for his successors. Journalist Bloomberg indicates that Apple will introduce a second-generation 5G modem in 2026, which is known internally as Ganymede. This will be implemented in the iPhone 18 and will appear on higher-end iPads in 2027.

Meanwhile, in 2027, Cupertino residents will introduce Prometheusthird generation component option. While it is not specified which devices this will be implemented on, it is explained that Apple will trust it by then. Its capabilities will already exceed those of Qualcomm hardware.. In addition to supporting advanced cellular technologies, the modem will also be compatible with next-generation satellite networks.

If Apple manages to match the performance of Qualcomm’s 5G modems in 2026 and surpass it in 2027, both the iPhone and other Apple devices will take a significant evolutionary leap. And the story doesn’t end there. Apple will also evaluate the possibility integrate the component into the SoC of your equipment.