Apple Plans Three-Year Rollout of In-House 5G Modems, Starting with iPhone SE in 2025

Dec 6, 2024, 07:34 PM

Apple is preparing a three-year rollout of its own cellular modem chips, codenamed "Sinope" and "Ganymede," in a bid to replace components from Qualcomm. The company plans to start this transition in 2025 with the iPhone SE and iPhone Air, using the initial "Sinope" modem, which will lack mmWave support and may be less capable than Qualcomm's offerings. In 2026, the "Ganymede" modem is expected to debut in higher-end devices like the iPhone 18 Pro and iPad Pro, providing improved capabilities including mmWave support. By 2027, Apple aims to fully supplant Qualcomm and Qorvo, gradually reducing reliance on their components—currently accounting for 22% and 46% of their revenues from Apple, respectively. The new Apple-designed modems will be tightly integrated with the company's main processors, offering benefits such as lower power consumption, more efficient cellular service scanning, and enhanced satellite connectivity. Additionally, Apple is exploring bringing cellular connectivity to its MacBooks and future versions of its Vision Pro headset, potentially leading to a range of new devices with built-in 5G capabilities.