Apple Again Said to Adopt Intel LTE Chips for iPhones in 2016

Some of Apple's iPhones produced in 2016 will use wireless modem chips supplied by Intel rather than Qualcomm, reports VentureBeat. iPhones (presumably the iPhone 7) sold in emerging markets in Asia and Latin America will reportedly use an Intel 7360 LTE modem.

intel-logo

Intel has been gunning hard during the past year for a place in the iPhone and now appears to have succeeded, at least partly. The 7360 chip will ship inside a special version of the iPhone that will be marketed to emerging markets in Asia and Latin America, the sources said.

The 7360 LTE modem chip [PDF] from Intel features up to 450Mbps downlink and it supports 29 LTE bands. It will begin shipping out to manufacturers during the second half of 2015. Apple engineers have reportedly been traveling to Munich, Germany to collaborate with Intel engineers on the chip.

Though VentureBeat suggests the Intel chips might only be used in some iPhones in emerging markets, analyst Ben Bajarin believes that Apple would make the switch universal, rather than using separate chips in different versions of the phone.

Today's report is the second time we've heard inklings of an Intel-Apple modem partnership. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted Apple's switch from Qualcomm to Intel for its baseband chips back in January. The shift from Qualcomm to Intel for even a portion of LTE chips will be a major loss for Qualcomm, as the company has supplied Apple with modem chips for many years now.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Aiming to Release 'Breakthrough' New iPhone Accessory

Wednesday February 18, 2026 12:43 pm PST by
Apple is looking for a "breakthrough" with its push into wearable AI devices, including an "AirTag-sized pendant," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In a report this week, he said the pendant is reminiscent of the failed Humane AI Pin, but it would be an iPhone accessory rather than a standalone product. The pendant would feature an "always-on" camera and a microphone for Siri voice...
Apple Watch 15 Tips Every Owner Needs to Know Feature

Apple Watch: 15 Tips Every Owner Needs to Know

Thursday February 19, 2026 7:38 am PST by
Apple Watch is now eleven generations in, and packed with useful features that are easy to miss at first glance. To help you get more out of your new device, we've rounded up 15 practical tips you might not have discovered yet, including a few that long-time users often overlook. Bounce Between Two Apps On your Apple Watch, double-press the Digital Crown to see a deck of all currently...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

10 Reasons to Wait for Apple's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday February 18, 2026 5:12 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
iphone 17 pro green

iPhone 17 Pro Max Curiously Becomes Most Traded-In Smartphone

Wednesday February 18, 2026 9:13 am PST by
New trade-in data indicates that Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max has rapidly become the single most traded-in smartphone. According to a new report from SellCell, Apple's latest flagship iPhone has quickly risen to the top of the independent trade-in market, accounting for 11.5% of all devices appearing in the top-20 trade-in rankings just months after release. The analysis is based on SellCell...
Multicolored Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature

Low-Cost MacBook Expected on March 4 in These Colors

Wednesday February 18, 2026 5:42 am PST by
Apple will announce its rumored low-cost MacBook at its event on March 4, with the device coming in a selection of bold color options, according to a known leaker. Earlier this week, Apple announced a "special Apple Experience" for the media in New York, London, and Shanghai, taking place on March 4, 2026 at 9:00am ET. Posting on Weibo, the leaker known as "Instant Digital" said that the...

Top Rated Comments

BeSweeet Avatar
143 months ago
Does anybody know which bands it supports? I'd be shocked if it's missing band 12 (though everyone was shocked that even the 6/6+ was lacking it).
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
143 months ago
not a bright future for qualcomm. first samsung stop using snapdragon now apple not going to use their modem.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
143 months ago
Deleted.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
143 months ago
Does the Apple Watch have WiFi? I assumed it does everything with Bluetooth, but I would think it would need WiFi to do handoff for glances and notifications when your phone is out of BT range at home. I didn't see a specs page for Apple Watch on Apple's website.

I think trying to run it without an iPhone would really run down the battery because the iPhone is the device always checking for notifications and running tasks. The Apple Watch just waits for a BT LE signal from the iPhone most of the time.

It would still be interesting to see what people come up with.

Yes it has WiFi, if the Apple Watch is on the same WiFI network as your iPhone you can use that instead of bluetooth.

----------

The rate doesn't matter... a 2 GB movie at 150mbps LTE or 450mbps LTE... is still 2 GB.

----------


Intel has plenty of radio experience. They have entire teams dedicated behind bluetooth, wifi, and other technologies.

They might have different ideas for IC optimizations, they are experts here. More importantly they have the most advanced fabs in the world, often 2 to 3 generations ahead of who Qualcomm would be able to contract to use.

Ive always thought an Apple design SOC produced on Intel's advanced fabs would freaking rock.

Sounds like they may try this with the cellular transceiver first.

You are not getting it. If you have a 1000mbps internet connection and you click by mistake on a youtube video you'll download it completely before you can close it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Saucesome2000 Avatar
143 months ago
That wouldn't happen unless you plan on downloading an HD movie over cellular. If you're just doing normal day to day things over cellular, speed won't have a big effect on how much data you use.

Actually it does. Look at the reports of Verizon users data use skyrocketing once Verizon got LTE in the iPhone 5. Sites can detect what kind of connection you have and automatically load higher quality content.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kemal Avatar
143 months ago
Maybe the BB chip comes with 16GB free intel NAND?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)