Apple and Qualcomm have recently settled their ongoing lawsuits with each other, which some have taken to indicate that come 2020, we can expect to see Apple launch their 5G iPhones. Apple had previously been rumored to use Intel’s 5G tech for their iPhones, but with Intel dropping out of the 5G race for good, Qualcomm is pretty much the only other option.
That being said, there have also been reports that claim that Apple could be looking to design their own 5G modems, and now a new report by The Information (paywall) claims that such an iPhone will most likely only arrive in 2025. This means that it will be at least 5-6 years from now before Apple’s modems will be ready for deployment in its own iPhones, assuming that in the next 5-6 years 5G hasn’t been replaced with 6G, and that we’re still using smartphones.
As to why Apple is waiting that long, it is because the development of Apple’s own modems are apparently taking longer than expected and are aiming for a 2025 deadline. Coincidentally enough, the report claims that this is due to the company signing a licensing agreement with Qualcomm as part of their settlement. This licensing agreement is said to run for 6 years, meaning that Apple will only be able to start using their own tech after that.
In any case, it seems that we will have quite a long wait ahead of us, so don’t hold your breath just yet.