iPhone 16: Qualcomm's Latest 5G Modem May Be Limited to Pro Models

[MacRumors]

Qualcomm's latest cellular modem may be limited to the iPhone 16 Pro models this year, according to technology analyst Jeff Pu.

In a research note today with investment firm Haitong International Securities, Pu reiterated his belief that the iPhone 16 Pro models will be equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X75 modem. However, he expects the standard iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus to retain the Snapdragon X70 modem found in all iPhone 15 models. This modem differentiation between the standard and Pro models would be a change in strategy for Apple.

Announced in February 2023, the Snapdragon X75 features improved carrier aggregation and other technology advancements for faster 5G download and upload speeds compared to the X70. The modem's combined mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G transceiver takes up 25% less circuit board space, and uses up to 20% less power, according to The Verge.

The Snapdragon X75 also supports the latest "5G Advanced" standard, which is described as "the next phase of 5G" and an "evolution towards 6G." 5G Advanced will include artificial intelligence and machine learning enhancements for improved 5G performance, and it will also expand 5G to additional device types and use cases.

Apple is likely to advertise 5G Advanced support on the iPhone 16 Pro models, like it did with LTE Advanced on the iPhone 6s in 2015.

Apple is rumored to have been working on its own 5G modem for iPhones since 2018, but the project has reportedly faced development challenges, and the modem is not expected to be announced until 2025 or later should it ever materialize. In the meantime, Apple extended its 5G modem agreement with Qualcomm through 2026.

Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 16 lineup in September.

Article Link: iPhone 16: Qualcomm's Latest 5G Modem May Be Limited to Pro Models

 

[Kylo83]

Will it have WiFi 7

 

[japanime]

Gotta have some excuse to charge $1,200 for the top-end model 🤣

 

[timber]

The deal on regular iPhones keeps getting worse.

 

[jlc1978]

Makes sense to differentiate the two product lines.

 

[jz0309]

So further differentiation of the Pro models, but at the same time, 5G is still not fully deployed in the US

 

[Supercyborgninja]

Makes sense to continue differentiating..if the golden age of phone buying was still a thing.

But now most folks are keeping their phones for years on end(which is great considering the situation in Congo).

And so if you’re on year 5 of your phone and ready to upgrade, you’ll probably get the best phone you can knowing you’re a person that doesn’t upgrade for a long time.

 

[coffeemilktea]

I get that Apple needs to have "special" features on the Pro to get people to buy the more expensive models, but have phone upgrades gotten so underwhelming that Apple is resorting to "you better get the Pro or you won't have the cooler modem?" 🫢

(clearly all the cool kids have the X75 and not the X70 modem... I guess...? 🤡)

 

[chineseguy38]

Better have MMwave support for models outside US this time.

 

[dannyyankou]

So further differentiation of the Pro models, but at the same time, 5G is still not fully deployed in the US

Forget about 5G, we still have tons of dead zones that lack coverage altogether. My neighborhood just had 2 antennas installed, but by my house there's no service.

 

[coolfactor]

So further differentiation of the Pro models, but at the same time, 5G is still not fully deployed in the US

Forget about 5G, we still have tons of dead zones that lack coverage altogether. My neighborhood just had 2 antennas installed, but by my house there's no service.

There's a bigger world beyond the US. Many countries are enjoying great 5G coverage and deserve to have a phone that can leverage it.

Qualcomm sure does have the modem market cornered! Are they the only real game in town? There's gotta be some decent competition out there.

Come on Apple. You can bring us a great modem!

 

[cdsapplefan]

Apple has to cut costs somewhere to appease shareholders

 

[Mihailo88]

Will it have WiFi 7

So far as we heard the 16 pro will, but the regular 16 apparently won’t

 

[Reason077]

5G Advanced will include artificial intelligence

So, 5G Advanced was actually originally going to include blockchain technology, but they had to pivot to AI instead because that’s the latest thing now. HYPE!!

 

[Premium1]

Ah yes more gatekeeping. Guess they don't have enough other updates so they are adding the modems to the "features" for the latest (but not the slightly less latest, latest).

 

[jz0309]

Forget about 5G, we still have tons of dead zones that lack coverage altogether. My neighborhood just had 2 antennas installed, but by my house there's no service.

Yea, in the place we lived before I got 0.1mbs download in a almost 20 year old neighborhood, and not on the outskirts…

 

[jz0309]

There's a bigger world beyond the US. Many countries are enjoying great 5G coverage and deserve to have a phone that can leverage it.

Qualcomm sure does have the modem market cornered! Are they the only real game in town? There's gotta be some decent competition out there.

Come on Apple. You can bring us a great modem!

Mediatek, and then Huawei…

 

[dannyyankou]

Yea, in the place we lived before I got 0.1mbs download in a almost 20 year old neighborhood, and not on the outskirts…

Yeah, I'm not in the sticks or anything. I'm in an affluent neighborhood. But sometimes if I'm in the backyard, I can't get pages to load at all.

 

[falkon-engine]

I could care less about 5G advanced. I just want to know if a WiFi 7 radio is coming to iPhone 16 pro. But WiFi 6E is really nice. 160 MHz of clean WiFi with need to worry about radar/dfs.

 

[Tagbert]

So further differentiation of the Pro models, but at the same time, 5G is still not fully deployed in the US

Are there more than a few countries with full 5G deployment? for how many of us will this model difference matter?

 

[svish]

Very much possible for the base models to have older chip. Hopefully battery life at least remains the same with the new X75 chip considering that the upcoming Pro models are supposed to have bigger screens

 

[gco212]

The deal on regular iPhones keeps getting worse.

People need to figure out that Apple is currently doing a Jedi Mind Trick, the normal iPhone is now the iPhone SE and the iPhone Pro is the normal iPhone. They're selling year old tech in the normal iPhone but pretending it's still the bleeding edge.

 

[M5RahuL]

Tim Shylock..

 

[dampfnudel]

What else is new? This is how Tim operates.

 

[User 6502]

It’s just pathetic at this point. Just get rid of the pro model and go back to when there was a single flagship iPhone each year.