New Apple chips: 5G and WLAN/Bluetooth probably separate at first
It has long been rumored that Apple wants to put all of its wireless technology into a component produced by TSMC. However, this will take some time.
Mobile phone mast: What comes out here has to go into the iPhone.
(Image: Daniel AJ Sokolov)
- Ben Schwan
Apple is initially planning to install its own 5G radio modems in its iPhone before also using its own Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips. The usually well-informed supply chain analyst Ming Chi Kuo from the Taiwanese investment firm TF International Securities assumes this. According to his information on X, this is due to – at least initially – different construction methods that Apple's manufacturer TSMC will use. Later, however, it is planned to handle all wireless connections via an Apple chip. There have been rumors about this for some time.
First of all, finally with Apple 5G
With the iPhone 4 SE, which is expected in spring 2025, Apple will use its own 5G radio unit for the first time after years of development. This would mean that the company would no longer be dependent on its beloved supplier Qualcomm. At the same time, the combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips currently supplied by Broadcom (more than 300 million units per year) should also be replaced by Apple hardware. However, Kuo claims that this will not yet happen for the SE 4: he does not expect TSMC to deliver until the second half of 2025. Accordingly, the in-house units would only be present in the iPhone 17.
According to Kuo, the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip will be built in TSMC's N7 process and support Wi-Fi 7. All Broadcom components should be replaced in the next three years. The 5G chip, on the other hand, uses another TSMC process. "That's why the iPhone SE 4, for example, will switch to an Apple 5G modem but continue to use a Broadcom Wi-Fi chip." Another interesting question is whether Apple plans to use a central chip for GPS functionality or even the new satellite radio. However, Kuo did not provide any details on this.
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The dream: wireless technology right in the SoC
Users and analysts alike are hoping for something else: further integration of the technology into the Apple Silicon SoC, i.e. an M-Chip. The dream: Apple could not only combine CPU, GPU plus memory with such a unit in the future, but also 5G wireless (possibly including the latest generation of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth).
This would be particularly exciting for the Mac, which Apple has not yet allowed to have integrated 5G – although it has been standard in the iPad for years. As a result, Mac users still have to use their iPhone to connect if they are not within Wi-Fi range – or another hotspot.
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