Qualcomm CEO reveals Apple’s 5G modem launch date

Qualcomm’s CEO, Cristiano Amon was speaking at MWC Barcelona today, and talked about Apple’s rumored 5G chipset. Amon believes that their own modem will be ready in 2024, but adds that “if they do need ours they know where to find us”. Basically, Amon saying “please still use our modem”.

Since the iPhone 12 lineup, when Apple added 5G support, they have been using Qualcomm’s 5G modems in conjunction with their own in-house chipset.

Apple’s 5G modem could be used in the iPhone 16 or the iPad first. It’s possible that Apple could use it in a lower-volume product at first, like an iPad Pro. While it is a popular iPad, it’s nowhere near as popular as the iPhone. Typically, Apple will sell around 10 million units just on the launch weekend of the new iPhone.

Qualcomm has been supplying 5G modems since 2020

Apple has been using Qualcomm’s 5G modems since 2020, when it added 5G to its iPhones. That was a big get for Qualcomm, since the iPhone does sell so many units. As mentioned above, Apple does typically sell around 10 million units in a single weekend after the device launches. That’s more than most Android phones will sell in their lifetime. So while Qualcomm was only selling modems and not the entire mobile platform, like a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, it’s still a big customer for Qualcomm.

Amon does seem to be pretty bummed about Apple opting to use its own modem in the iPhone 16 next year. Again, that’s a big time customer for Qualcomm. Which will lose a lot of money with this move by Apple. But for Apple, this gives them more control over their iPhones, it also lowers the cost to build the iPhone. And it might also improve 5G connectivity on the iPhone. Which is definitely a good thing here.

Time will tell how good Apple’s first 5G modem will truly be. But in the past, their modems have been pretty good. Way better than the Pixel 6 modem that Google had.

The post Qualcomm CEO reveals Apple’s 5G modem launch date appeared first on Android Headlines.

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