Apple's Self-Developed 5G Baseband to Ship in Small Quantities Next Year, iPhone SE4 Could Be the First Model to Feature It

Apple's Self-Developed 5G Baseband to Ship in Small Quantities Next Year, iPhone SE4 Could Be the First Model to Feature It

Apple's Self-Developed 5G Baseband to Ship in Small Quantities Next Year, iPhone SE4 Could Be the First Model to Feature It

Kuaitech September 7th news, despite acquiring Intel's 5G baseband business for $1 billion back in 2019, Apple has yet to adopt its own self-developed baseband for iPhones. Recently, Qualcomm announced an agreement with Apple to continue providing Snapdragon 5G basebands and radio frequency systems for iPhones in 2024, 2025, and 2026. This indicates that Apple will remain reliant on Qualcomm basebands until the iPhone 18 series is released.

Although Apple's journey towards a self-developed 5G baseband hasn't been smooth, internal research and development continues. According to a recent report by renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple will begin shipping its self-developed 5G baseband in small quantities next year with plans to significantly ramp up production in 2026 and 2027. Kuo predicts that Apple's self-developed 5G baseband shipments will reach 35-40 million units in 2025, 90-110 million units in 2026, and 160-180 million units in 2027.

Kuo also forecasts that Apple will first introduce its self-developed 5G baseband in the iPhone SE4 and iPhone 17 Air in 2025. The iPhone SE4 is expected to feature the same design as the standard iPhone 13/14, with an OLED display for the first time. It will have the same 6.1-inch size as the standard model, marking the first full-screen model in the SE series.

The iPhone 17 Air, previously rumored as the iPhone 17 Slim, emphasizes a thin and light design, employing a 6.55-inch screen. It will replace the current Plus model and support ProMotion high refresh rate.

The delayed release of Apple's self-developed 5G baseband and its initial implementation in the iPhone SE4 and iPhone 17 Air have sparked widespread speculation and discussion. Some believe that Apple will use these two models to test the performance and stability of its self-developed baseband before gradually introducing it to more product lines in the future. Others suggest that Apple chose to initially use the self-developed baseband in lower-cost models to mitigate risk and gain production experience.

Regardless, the official launch of Apple's self-developed 5G baseband will have a major impact on the entire mobile phone industry. This not only signifies that Apple will have a more independent chip supply chain but also marks a further breakthrough in its 5G technology. How Apple will leverage its self-developed 5G baseband technology to deliver new user experiences in the future is something to look forward to.