The iPhone SE 4 that is set to come back out early subsequent yr is predicted to debut Apple’s first in-house 5G modem, in keeping with Jeff Pu, an analyst who covers firms inside Apple’s provide chain.
In a analysis notice this week with Hong Kong-based funding agency Haitong Worldwide Securities, Pu stated Apple is predicted to roll out its custom-made 5G modem beginning with the next-generation iPhone SE 4. Apple’s in-house modem will then be joined by a secondary Apple-made Wi-Fi 7 chip within the iPhone 17 Professional within the second half of 2025.
Pu has beforehand stated that iPhone 17 Professional fashions in 2025 will probably be geared up with an Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip, which matches his newest expectations for adoption. Pu believes that each {custom} modem and Wi-Fi 7 chips will obtain majority adoption in iPhones by 2027.
Pu’s forecast additionally tallies with predictions lately made by Apple provide chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. On Thursday, Kuo stated that at the least one iPhone 17 mannequin launching subsequent yr will probably be geared up with an Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip. Kuo additionally expects Apple’s 5G modem for use within the rumored ultra-thin iPhone 17 mannequin.
Kuo believes that Apple’s 5G and Wi-Fi chips are at present two completely different chips that can progressively be utilized in new merchandise concurrently beginning within the second half of 2025. The early switch-over timelines will differ as a consequence of separate manufacturing schedules, in keeping with Kuo. As Pu additionally suggests, the iPhone SE 4 will transfer to an Apple 5G modem however nonetheless use a Broadcom Wi-Fi chip.
Apple’s shift to develop its personal modem and Wi-Fi chip expertise can be a major strategic transfer. At the moment, Apple depends on Qualcomm to provide its modems, and Broadcom for its Wi-Fi and Bluetooth parts. For instance, all 4 iPhone 16 fashions already assist Wi-Fi 7 with Broadcom’s chip, however with some restricted specs. By creating its personal equivalents, Apple goals to cut back dependency on third-parties, achieve extra management over the expertise, and probably decrease prices in the long term.
The fourth-generation iPhone SE is predicted to have the same design as the bottom iPhone 14, with rumored options together with a 6.1-inch OLED show, Face ID, a more moderen A-series chip, a USB-C port, a single 48-megapixel rear digicam, 8GB of RAM to allow Apple Intelligence assist, and naturally the first-ever Apple-designed 5G modem. The brand new iPhone SE is predicted to be launched within the first half of 2025, with a launch in March or April probably.
