A cellular modem is the component in a smartphone that lets said phone access the internet via a mobile broadband connection, i.e. what you know of as 3G, 4G, 5G and more. This in-house cellular modem is being developed by the same team that made today’s impressive M-series chips which are used in Macs and iPads.
Current Apple devices use modems supplied by Qualcomm, a practice that Apple has been wanting to move away from since 2018. However, the company has been unable to produce a satisfactory unit since starting development six years ago: often running into problems with performance and heating.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max uses a Qualcomm modem. | Image credit — PhoneArena
Gurman argues that one reason for Apple wanting its own modems is so that the company can market its devices as having in-house components. Another reason may be that Apple reportedly plans to develop a unified chip that handles all wireless functions including WiFi and Bluetooth.
If I had to guess, I’d say it was just because Apple feels that it pays Qualcomm too much. The marketing gimmicks and unified chips may follow. But the reason Apple is working so hard for an in-house modem today is so it doesn’t owe Qualcomm anything tomorrow. Something which, as Gurman points out, is unlikely to happen because Qualcomm holds too many patents.
The iPhones are some of the best phones on the market today, and upcoming AI features and improved chips will only make them better. But, who knows, maybe an in-house cellular modem might do Apple a lot of good in the future.
