Apple Could Equip iPhone With Internal Modem in 2025, Benefits May Not Be Seen for Years: Mark Gurman

Apple could start equipping its smartphones with its own modem as early as 2025, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. While the Cupertino company has been working on its own modem technology for years and has reduced its reliance on Qualcomm chips, it has reportedly encountered a few challenges over the past few years, leading to several delays. Even if Apple does introduce the new modem in an upcoming iPhone model next year, it could still be years before Apple’s technology starts to deliver big benefits to customers.

In the latest edition of his weekly Power On newsletter, Gurman details Apple’s modem chip development, stating that it has been pushed back “until next year at the earliest” due to overheating and performance issues. This means that the iPhone 16 series, due out in the next few months, will likely feature a Qualcomm modem.

The Bloomberg journalist also says that the new modem will be introduced gradually, starting with “niche models.” This suggests that it may take several years for this technology to appear in all Apple iPhone models.

Last month, TF Securities International analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the iPhone SE 4 and a “slim” model from the rumored iPhone 17 series — scheduled to launch in the first and third quarters of 2025, respectively — will feature the patented technology.

According to Gurman, Apple’s decision to replace Qualcomm modems in the iPhone could help the company reduce costs to some extent (the company may still have to pay some licensing fees to Qualcomm), but it will be years before the company’s chip offers any noticeable improvements over the ones it currently buys from Qualcomm.

If Apple’s plan to equip future iPhone models with its own modem proves successful, the company could eventually integrate it into its system-on-chip (SoC) to increase the amount of space available inside the iPhone, allowing for newer components or larger versions of existing ones.