The iPhone 15 series will continue to feature Qualcomm 5G modems, according to a report today by DigiTimes, as development at Apple on a custom-made chip continues.
Apple is currently developing an in-house 5G modem that aims to replace Qualcomm's Snapdragon 5G chips within the coming years. The report today says that TSMC will be the main supplier of the Qualcomm 5G chip for use in the iPhone 15 series, using the 5nm and 4nm process.
The iPhone 14 series includes the Snapdragon X65 modem, which helps improve 5G speeds and battery life. The iPhone 15 is rumored to include the more advanced X70 chip, which features artificial intelligence capabilities for faster average speeds, improved coverage, better signal quality, lower latency, and up to 60% improved power efficiency.
Reports initially suggested Apple would make its switch to in-house 5G modems as soon as 2023, but follow-up reports suggested Apple had "failed" on the chip's development and will continue to use Qualcomm modems for the foreseeable future.
Thursday September 24, 2026 6:39 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Qualcomm today announced the renewal of its global patent licensing agreement with Apple, effective April 1, 2027. No further details were provided.
This patent agreement is separate from Qualcomm's agreement to supply Apple with cellular modems for smartphone launches through 2026, so we expect Apple's transition to its own custom-designed modems to continue. Among the latest iPhone models, ...
Monday October 19, 2026 9:37 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple today sent out invites for an experience in Los Angeles on Wednesday, October 28, and the "Pro and tell" tagline on the invitation likely means that the rumored MacBook models with touch-enabled OLED displays will stick with MacBook Pro branding instead of the once-rumored "MacBook Ultra" name.
The long-rumored "iPhone Ultra" ended up being named iPhone Duo, so speculation that Apple...
Tuesday October 20, 2026 11:12 am PDT by Juli Clover
With just three days to go until the iPhone Duo is released, Apple is getting ready for the launch. Behind the scenes, the App Store now has screenshots of Apple's built-in apps running on the Duo. We've seen some apps in marketing materials, but images of the ones we haven't seen give us an idea of what it will be like using the iPhone Duo day to day.
Many apps are shown in landscape...
What does “artificial intelligence capabilities” for a modem mean? Regurgitating marketing speak?
I think anyone that uses the words artificial intelligence should stipulate the level of intelligence. For example, “pretty clever hamster” or “thoroughly disinterested cat”.
Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.