iPhone 16 will use Apple’s in-house 5G modem, Qualcomm CEO says

Rumors about whether Apple could produce its own in-house 5G radios have been like a rollercoaster these past months. First, we reported delays, then a complete cancelation. Yesterday, on the other hand, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple would indeed be readying its in-house 5G chips for the redesigned iPhone SE 4.

Now, Qualcomm’s CEO says he’s not expecting Apple to continue using his company’s chips as the Cupertino firm is moving to its own modems by 2024. That said, not only will the iPhone SE 4 use Apple’s solution, but the iPhone 16 lineup will apparently also benefit from the in-house technology.

The information comes from an interview with Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm’s CEO, to CNBC.

“We’re making no plans for 2024, my planning assumption is we’re not providing [Apple] a modem in ’24, but it’s their decision to make,” Cristiano Amon told CNBC at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

That said, this is not the first time Qualcomm’s CEO thought Apple wouldn’t use his chips, as he stated the same in 2021 regarding 2023, and now Qualcomm will be the provider of iPhone 15’s 5G chips once again.

With Apple moving to an in-house 5G modem production, the iPhone 16 series could save more battery life while on a 5G network. With more optimized hardware, Apple could also make this modem better integrated with other parts of the iPhone.

What we know about the iPhone 16 series

Besides this possible in-house 5G modem, Apple is expected to introduce three new series with this upcoming phone: a regular one, the Pro versions, and a new Ultra model. In addition, the Pro phones are expected to feature a smaller Dynamic Island, as Apple is working to move the Face ID sensor to under the panel. That said, expect a better processor and more camera features.