by Apple’s rumored 5G modem project has multiple suppliers interested in helping with the final assembly of the chip, according to a new report.
While the custom-designed modem will likely be manufactured by Apple’s chip manufacturing partner TSMC, the final packaging stage may be handled by other suppliers. Taiwan Supply Chain Publication DigiTimes Today it reported that ASE Technology and Amkor Technology are “competing” to package modem chips. The two companies already have experience packaging Qualcomm’s modem chips, the report said.
Qualcomm is currently the exclusive supplier of 5G modems for Apple devices, including the entire iPhone 14 lineup, but Apple has long been rumored to be designing its own 5G chip as an in-house replacement. Last month, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said he expected Apple’s 5G modem to be ready in 2024, but BloombergMark Gurman reported that it could take up to three years for Apple to fully divest from Qualcomm.
The first device expected to be equipped with Apple’s custom 5G modem is the fourth-generation iPhone SE, which will likely be released around March 2024. It’s unclear how Apple’s chip would perform compared to Qualcomm’s modems. but moving to in-house design would likely lower Apple’s production costs over time.
Meanwhile, all iPhone 15 models are expected to be equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X70 modem, which has further improvements in cellular speed and power efficiency compared to the Snapdragon X65 in all iPhone 14 models.
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