iPhone 14 could miss out on this major Apple upgrade

iPhone xiv could miss out on this major Apple upgrade

(Image credit: Front Folio Tech | Renders by Ian)

The iPhone fourteen could miss out on Apple tree's in-business firm modem bit, as according to a paywalled study from DigiTimes, 2022 will 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 Chiliad processors used in iPhones and Macs, respectively — is expected to produce Apple tree'due south custom 5G baseband modem chips.

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

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

"The assumption we use for this forecast is that for Apple 2023 launch, our share is down to 20%," Qualcomm'southward chief financial officer Akash Palkhiwala was quoted as saying. "Just to be clear, there is no new information point that makes us exercise this forecast versus our discussions in the by. We just wanted to set a base for this forecast, so nosotros've used that as a planning assumption."

But if Apple is going to be making its ain modems for 2023, why would it exist requiring anything at all from Qualcomm? Well, there's a few possibilities here. The first, obviously, is that it won't and the "assumption" is off the mark.

But there are likewise scenarios where Apple could be making its own modems but nevertheless desire to work with Qualcomm, too. In that location could be regions where Apple'southward 5G modem isn't supported, for case, or it might simply be that while Qualcomm's fries aren't right for the flagship iPhone 15, they're platonic for an upcoming iPhone SE, or 2023's cellular iPads.

What does this all means for the average iPhone user? That's non clear, but we would not wait a huge 5G upgrade from the iPhone xiv equally a result of this written report. But as we've seen with the Apple M1 flake, tighter control over a chip'south hardware can yield impressive functioning, something Apple's A-series chips already deliver compared to their Android counterparts.

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

Equally for the iPhone xiv overall, we're expecting to run into a new blueprint, hopefully marking the stop of the notch, also as photographic camera improvements and potentially the return of Touch ID. Stay tuned to our iPhone xiv hub for all the latest leaks and rumors, and check out our iPhone 14 vs iPhone thirteen comparison for all the rumored upgrades.

Freelance correspondent Alan has been writing virtually tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the spider web and in the occasional magazine as well. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more than likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth fourth dimension.