The Future of iPhone: Can Self-Developed 5G Baseband and Foldable iPhone Bring Breakthroughs?

The Future of iPhone: Can Self-Developed 5G Baseband and Foldable iPhone Bring Breakthroughs?The influence of iPhones in the domestic market remains undeniable, especially after the official launch of the iPhone 16 series, which has attracted the attention and purchasing enthusiasm of numerous consumers. While the smartphone market often faces pessimistic forecasts, Apple's loyal user base remains substantial, alleviating significant sales pressure

The Future of iPhone: Can Self-Developed 5G Baseband and Foldable iPhone Bring Breakthroughs?

The influence of iPhones in the domestic market remains undeniable, especially after the official launch of the iPhone 16 series, which has attracted the attention and purchasing enthusiasm of numerous consumers. While the smartphone market often faces pessimistic forecasts, Apple's loyal user base remains substantial, alleviating significant sales pressure. However, many Apple enthusiasts have become "wait-and-see" consumers, eagerly anticipating the release of Apple's self-developed 5G baseband and the arrival of a foldable iPhone. Recently, both of these developments have made progress, providing Apple fans with reasons to remain patient.

Self-Developed 5G Baseband: The Gap Between Expectations and Reality

Rumors initially suggested that Apple's self-developed 5G baseband would debut in the iPhone SE4, exciting many Apple fans. This development promised to improve signal strength and finally address the long-standing criticisms of poor signal quality on Apple phones. However, recent leaks indicate that the 5G baseband for the iPhone SE4 will not support millimeter waves (mmWave), suggesting that iPhone flagship models may still rely on Qualcomm basebands in the short term.

Global 5G network frequency bands are primarily divided into Sub-6GHz and millimeter waves. Compared to Sub-6 bands, millimeter waves offer significant advantages in capability expansion and application implementation. However, for Chinese Apple fans, this news might be less concerning as domestic iPhones have never supported millimeter wave technology.

While millimeter waves possess technological advantages, such as smaller antenna sizes, lightweight devices, higher frequency bands, fewer interference sources, and stable reliable channels, they also have drawbacks like poor penetration and severe diffuse reflection attenuation. Therefore, this news is not necessarily positive for Apple enthusiasts.

Ultimately, whether the self-developed 5G baseband can truly address signal strength issues remains to be seen. If it can successfully resolve this challenge, it would undoubtedly be a positive outcome.

Foldable iPhone: Long-Awaited, When Will It Arrive?

On the other hand, news about a foldable iPhone is gradually emerging. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) previously published a list revealing that Apple obtained a new patent for a foldable iPhone named "Electronic Device With Display and Touch Sensor Structure." This patent indicates that users can control the iPhone through actions like tapping and swiping. Although similar patents have been filed before, this development signifies that Apple's smartphone development is accelerating, and its arrival might be closer than anticipated.

Previously, a smartphone chip expert revealed that the development of the foldable iPhone is ahead of schedule, but the specific release date remains undisclosed. Combining this information with previous reports, it's possible that the foldable iPhone could debut next year. Recently, other leakers have mentioned that foldable components are already in Apple's production line, indicating that it could launch next year if everything goes smoothly, otherwise, the release will likely be delayed further. However, it's noteworthy that the chassis, screen, and back cover of the iPhone foldable phone are currently undergoing verification, signifying that the arrival of the foldable iPhone is imminent.

For Apple enthusiasts who appreciate both Apple phones and foldable phones, this is undoubtedly exciting news. However, its actual launch next year remains uncertain. Apple previously abandoned its car project, so until the very last moment, no one can be sure whether the foldable iPhone will materialize. Currently, we can only patiently wait.

Market Competition: Performance and Challenges of the iPhone 16 Series

Looking at the current smartphone market, both the self-developed 5G baseband for the iPhone SE4 and the foldable iPhone require sufficient time to mature. At this stage, users should focus more on the competition between the iPhone 16 series and domestic smartphone brands, as this is where the most market activity is happening.

Although the iPhone 16 series witnessed many users claiming that the ProMax series "sold out instantly" in the pre-order phase, making it difficult to secure first-day shipments, the scalping situation on the day of release revealed that the price premium was not significant. Several scalpers reported that the iPhone 16 ProMax had "a maximum markup of only around 700-800 yuan," while the Pro models were "rejected," indicating less than ideal market conditions.

In conclusion, Apple phones are facing significant pressure in their current development trajectory. Only time will tell whether the upcoming iPhone SE4, self-developed 5G baseband, and foldable iPhone can deliver breakthroughs. So the question is, do you have high hopes for Apple's future developments? Let's discuss!