Qualcomm Hints at Apple's Switch to Intel for LTE Modems in iPhone 7

[usarioclave]

And in the end, this post-PC transition was enabled by one thing: WebKit. Thank you, WebKit team.

 

[bodonnell202]

Actually, there are over 100 networks worldwide now that support Cat 6 speeds. For example, all the Canadian operators support Cat 6 or better. Bell Mobility for example now supports up to Cat 9.

Just to give you an idea of the pace of progress, in January 2015 there were only 20 networks worldwide that supported Cat 6 speeds. By January 2016, that number grew 5x. And now you see Cat 9 and Cat 12 networks start popping up. By next year, Cat 9 will be the baseline and there will be several operators at Cat 12 or even Cat 16 - which is 1 Gbps.

More stats on LTE networks deployments and speeds: http://gsacom.com/download.php?id=2698

What is a lifecycle of a smartphone? Some say it's extending now beyond 24 months. If you bought a phone 2 years ago, then at this moment, you would be stuck with LTE that's half the speed. Same thing if you buy a phone in late 2016 - do you want to miss out on the network upgrades in 2017 and 2018? Especially if you're paying for a premium tier smartphone?

Good point, and the roll out of LTE-A has been fairly rapid here. In the past I didn't really take the theoretical peak download speed into consideration when upgrading since it didn't seem relevant. Something to think about for my next upgrade, which likely won't be until at least 2017 anyway.

That said this is just a rumour so who knows what modem Apple will integrate in their next iPhone(s). They may be looking to source modems from more than once manufacturer and could use different modems regionally based on the network in the region.

 

[Mr. Dee]

Qualcomm shares are currently trading lower after the chip maker suggested during an earnings call Wednesday that it will be losing orders from one of its major customers to one of its leading competitors.

Analysts believe that customer will be Apple, according to Bloomberg, following rumors that the Cupertino-based company will rely on Intel to supply the majority of LTE modems for the iPhone 7, which is expected to be announced at a media event this September.In early March, CLSA Securities analyst Srini Pajjuri issued a research note claiming that Intel has secured a "significant portion" of LTE chip orders from Apple, likely in the range of 30 to 40 percent of production. Pajjuri believes Qualcomm will likely be tasked with at least a portion of the remaining orders.

Intel reportedly has 1,000 or more employees working on preparing its 7360 LTE modem for the next-generation iPhone. Intel's 7360 LTE modem chip [PDF] features faster theoretical downlink speeds up to 450 Mbps, uplink speeds up to 100 Mbps, and support for LTE category 10 and 29 LTE bands overall.

The switch to Intel LTE chips means the iPhone 7 could have even faster LTE speeds for browsing the web, downloading apps, streaming video, and other data-related tasks. Apple already improved LTE speeds on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus by adopting LTE-Advanced, which pushed downlink speeds up to a theoretical max of 300 Mbps.

Apple currently sources all of its LTE modems for iPhones from Qualcomm, including the MDM9635 chipset in the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, which provides theoretical downlink speeds up to 300 Mbps and uplink speeds up to 50 Mbps. Qualcomm has been Apple's exclusive supplier of LTE modems for over three years.

Rumors suggest that Apple may eventually create an all-in-one system-on-a-chip that includes both an A-series processor and an LTE modem chip for improved speed and power management. Intel could play a key role in licensing and fabricating the chipset based on its advanced 14-nanometer process.

Article Link: Qualcomm Hints at Apple's Switch to Intel for LTE Modems in iPhone 7

 

[kozmic]

Hate to bring up dead threads, but I feel this one was warranted.

I really wish I would have stumbled across this thread before purchasing my iPhone 7 (AT&T). I have been struggling with the iPhone 7 for the last three weeks with connectivity issues and call drops in areas that I never had trouble with my iPhone 6 that I just upgraded from. (Luckily, I still have the old phone and on an AT&T plan for my wife, who is now using that phone. So have been able to compare the two.)

I received my iPhone 7 three weeks ago, and since then have had all kinds of issues with data connection and call drops. Initially, I just chalked it up to bad reception, etc., but after a couple weeks, I decided to start comparing with my old iPhone 6, and sure enough, whenever/wherever I experienced trouble with the iPhone 7, my old iPhone 6 would work no problem in that very same place at the very same time. And it seems that it is more of a contention issue in more heavily congested areas... Both phones would show the same level of connection bars & db levels - the iPhone 6 would load a page, while the iPhone 7 would try and try, then give up eventually.

I just issued a return of the iPhone 7 and will be going back to an iPhone 6 (because I cannot switch carriers to get the Qualcomm iPhone 7).

How in the world does Apple make this change without enough DD and QA to vet out these issues... it only took me three weeks to realize something was amiss, and I am the consumer... :-/