Apple is rumored to be working on its own 5G modem chip, with companies such as ASE Technology Holding (ASEH) and Amkor Technology competing for orders, reports DigiTimes Asia.
The two companies have experience packaging Qualcomm’s modem chips, the article adds. Apple’s own modem has been rumored for some time. In May 2021 analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told clients that the first Apple-designed 5G modem is likely to debut in 2023 iPhones.
“We predict that the iPhone will adopt Apple’s own design 5G baseband chips in 2023 at the earliest,” he said. “As Android sales in the high-end 5G phone market are sluggish, Qualcomm will be forced to compete for more orders in the low-end market to compensate for Apple’s order loss. When the supply constraints improve, MediaTek and Qualcomm will have less bargaining power over brands, resulting in significantly higher competitive pressure in the mid-to low- end market.”
Apple currently uses Qualcomm modems. However, the tech giant acquired Intel’s smartphone modem business in July 2019 and added 2,200 Intel engineers to its chipset operations globally.
Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today