In 2022 Patently Apple posted a report titled "Apple not releasing their own 5G Modem Chip relates to a long standing patent battle with Qualcomm and not because of a development failure.' In August 2024 we posted a report titled  "Apple's upcoming 5G Modem will take years before its devices will provide potential advantages."

Today we're learning that Apple Inc. is preparing to finally bring one of its most ambitious projects to market: a series of cellular modem chips that will replace components from longtime partner — and adversary — Qualcomm Inc.

Bloomberg reports that "More than half a decade in the making, Apple’s in-house modem system will debut next spring, according to people familiar with the matter. The component is slated to be part of the iPhone SE, the company’s entry-level smartphone, which will be updated next year for the first time since 2022.

That will be followed by further generations of chips that grow increasingly more advanced. Apple hopes to ultimately overtake Qualcomm’s technology by 2027," as we noted in our 2022 report referenced earlier.

When the iPhone SE debuts in a few months, it will have major new features, including Apple Intelligence and the edge-to-edge screen design already used in more upscale models. But its most impressive breakthrough won’t be visible to consumers: the in-house modem, code-named Sinope.

For now, the modem won’t be used in Apple’s higher-end products. It’s set to come to a new mid-tier iPhone later next year that features a far-thinner design than current models. The chip will also start rolling out as early as 2025 in Apple’s lower-end iPads.

Unlike today’s high-end Qualcomm parts, Apple's initial modem for the iPhone SE won’t support mmWave, a type of 5G technology used by Verizon Wireless and other carriers, primarily in major cities, that can theoretically handle download speeds of as much as 10 gigabits per second. Instead, the Apple component will rely on the Sub-6 standard, a more prevalent technology used by the current iPhone SE.

The first Apple modem will also only support four-carrier aggregation, a technology that combines bands from several wireless providers simultaneously to increase network capacity and speeds. Modems from Qualcomm can support six or more carriers at the same time.

In lab tests, the first Apple modem caps out at download speeds of about 4 gigabits per second, less than the top speeds offered by non-mmWave Qualcomm modems, the people said. Real world speeds for both types of modems are typically far less, meaning that customers might not notice a difference in day-to-day use.

Apple is also planning to include support for DSDS, or dual SIM dual standby. That allows data connections on both SIM cards when a user is using two phone numbers for their device.

Some of the development work for the modems has also taken place in Cupertino and offices in Munich. The project has been a priority for the company’s hardware technologies team, which is run by executive Johny Srouji.

In 2026, Apple looks to get closer to Qualcomm’s capabilities with its second-generation modem, which will start appearing in higher-end products. This chip, Ganymede, is expected to go into the iPhone 18 line that year, as well as upscale iPads by 2027

In 2027, Apple aims to roll out its third modem, code-named Prometheus. The company hopes to top Qualcomm with that component’s performance while supporting for next-generation satellite networks. For more, review the full Bloomberg report.