According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple will continue to purchase modem chips from Qualcomm for the 2023 iPhone 15 series.
Qualcomm said it will provide "the vast majority" modem chips for Apple's devices.
in November 2021, Qualcomm said it expected to supply 20% of Apple modem chips in 2023, indicating that it may turn to Apple's own modem chips. Apple has been working on reducing its reliance on Qualcomm by developing its own modem technology in-house, but Apple's chips don't seem ready to be launched in 2023.
Tianfeng Securities Analyst Kuo Mingchi said that development on chips has stagnated, but work is still continuing in the end. Apple is expected to create its own modem chip, but it will take more time to get the job done and make it satisfying on iPhone and other devices.
Apple launched a legal lawsuit against Qualcomm in 2017, accusing Qualcomm of unfairly charging patent fees for its unrelated technology. Apple wants to switch from Qualcomm to 5G to stop paying Qualcomm and instead use Intel technology, but Intel cannot make the 5G chip that meets Apple's standards.
Apple was forced to reach a settlement with Qualcomm, and has since used Qualcomm 5G modem chips for iPhone and iPad product lines. Since then, Apple has been developing its own modem chips and has even acquired Intel's modem chip business to seize the lead. The initial rumors pointed out that 2023 was the year Apple was preparing for a transformation, but it seemed that it would take longer for Apple to end its modem deal with Qualcomm.
