iPhone 14 could miss out on this major Apple upgrade

(Prototype credit: Front Page Tech | Renders by Ian)

The iPhone xiv could miss out on Apple'southward in-firm modem scrap, every bit according to a paywalled report from DigiTimes, 2022 volition be the last year the company relies solely on Qualcomm to supply modems for its handsets.

After that, TSMC — the company that produces the A and M processors used in iPhones and Macs, respectively — is expected to produce Apple'due south custom 5G baseband modem chips.

Interestingly, the study says that this will be a component separate from the 'A' chip built for 2023's flagship phone (in all likelihood the A17 and iPhone 15.) If correct, that'south a unlike arroyo than what's expected from Android devices with custom modems, which will instead probable be congenital into the SoC along with the application processor.

Although this is simply one written report, it notably matches up with what Qualcomm itself said in its contempo Investor Day. While information technology's apparently doing quite well with Samsung in 2022, the visitor conceded that it expected to supply just 20% of Apple modem chips in 2023.

"The supposition nosotros use for this forecast is that for Apple 2023 launch, our share is down to 20%," Qualcomm'due south master fiscal officer Akash Palkhiwala was quoted as maxim. "Merely to be clear, in that location is no new data signal that makes us exercise this forecast versus our discussions in the past. Nosotros just wanted to set up a base for this forecast, and and then we've used that as a planning supposition."

Just if Apple is going to be making its own modems for 2023, why would it be requiring anything at all from Qualcomm? Well, there'south a few possibilities here. The kickoff, obviously, is that information technology won't and the "supposition" is off the mark.

But there are also scenarios where Apple could be making its own modems but still want to work with Qualcomm, too. In that location could exist regions where Apple's 5G modem isn't supported, for example, or it might simply be that while Qualcomm's chips aren't right for the flagship iPhone 15, they're ideal for an upcoming iPhone SE, or 2023's cellular iPads.

What does this all means for the boilerplate iPhone user? That's not clear, just we would not expect a huge 5G upgrade from the iPhone 14 every bit a result of this written report. Only every bit nosotros've seen with the Apple M1 bit, tighter control over a fleck's hardware tin yield impressive performance, something Apple's A-series fries already deliver compared to their Android counterparts.

In real-world terms the eventual Apple 5G modem could mean improved cellular connections, better hip packaging and thus more than efficient battery life. Time will tell in this case.

Every bit for the iPhone fourteen overall, we're expecting to see a new design, hopefully marking the finish of the notch, besides equally camera improvements and potentially the return of Bear upon ID. Stay tuned to our iPhone 14 hub for all the latest leaks and rumors, and check out our iPhone fourteen vs iPhone thirteen comparison for all the rumored upgrades.

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in betwixt. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are establish all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you lot'll probably discover him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth fourth dimension.