Apple is having difficulty developing its own 5G modem

Apple's effort to create its own 5G modem continues to encounter problems and has to postpone the expected launch time to early 2026.

In 2019, Apple spent $1 billion to buy most of Intel's mobile chip business with the ambition of developing its own 5G modem. Four years passed, the project failed many times.

Initially, Apple planned to produce 5G modems in 2024. However, according to Bloomberg expert Mark Gurman , Apple is having to delay it until late 2025 or early 2026. The first product expected to be equipped with a new 5G chip is Cheap iPhone SE as a test before the company brings it to the high-end line.

Apple is developing its own 5G modem. Photo: MacRumors

Apple's 5G modem is said to still be in its early stages, lagging many years behind its competitors because the version under development does not yet support mmWave technology. Apple is also having many technical problems, having to completely revise Intel's modem because the addition of new features makes existing features inoperable. They must also be careful not to violate the patents that Qualcomm holds. Apple's hardware technology team is also spread across many different projects, making error handling time-consuming.

The discord between Apple and Qualcomm is the main reason why the iPhone owner decided to build its own 5G modem. In 2017, the company sued Qualcomm for charging too high a license fee. Apple also sought to switch to using Intel modems for the iPhone 11, but Intel could not produce 5G chips that met its standards. Therefore, Apple was forced to make peace and sign a new cooperation agreement with Qualcomm in September.

Apple's first 5G modem will be a standalone chip, but in the long term, the company hopes to develop an SoC (system on chip) with more features and connectivity to eliminate the need for outside vendors. third parties like Broadcom, giving Apple more control over component development.