Right now Qualcomm will pretty much have the market cornered when it comes to 5G modems. Intel is expected to toss their hat into the ring, but unfortunately it seems that Intel’s 5G debut might only happen in 2020 which means that for an entire year, they will have no choice but to cede market share to Qualcomm.
This is according to a report from Reuters in which Intel revealed that while they will be shipping out their 5G modems later this year, the company only expects to see them find their way into smartphones in 2020. What’s interesting about this is that we had previously heard that Apple might only launch a 5G smartphone in 2020, which coincides with this recent report.
At the same time we have also heard rumors that Apple might not go with Intel for their 5G modems. As it stands Intel does supply modems for use in Apple’s iPhones, but some reports claim that Apple could be looking to ditch Intel and that the Cupertino company is exploring building their own modems.
The company is also rumored to have been in talks with the likes of Samsung and MediaTek for modems as well. That being said, it is unclear if Intel’s timeline will have an impact on Apple, if at all, but either way we’ll have to wait until 2020 to find out.