Intel's 5G Chips Won't Appear in Mobile Phones Until 2020

Reuters reports that Intel has confirmed it does not expect its 5G chips to be in consumer products until 2020.

Intel Corp executives said on Friday its 5G modem chips will not appear in mobile phones until 2020, raising the possibility its biggest customer, Apple Inc, will be more than a year behind rivals in delivering a device that uses the faster networks.

Intel's timeline is tied closely with Apple's product plans due to Apple's reliance on Intel chips for its iPhone modems. Previously a Qualcomm customer, Apple has been at odds with Qualcomm due to an ongoing legal battle between the two companies. In fact, Qualcomm has been reportedly unwilling to sell its chips to Apple because of the conflict.

Intel 5G Modem
That has left Apple reliant on Intel for its modem chips in the latest line of iPhones, though Apple has been exploring other vendors, and even working to develop its own chips. That plan, however, isn't expected to produce results until 2021, at least.

Apple waiting until 2020 to deliver 5G iPhones doesn't come as a surprise as previous rumors have said the same. This statement by Intel, however, does seem to confirm some of those previous rumors.

Tags: 5G, Intel, Qualcomm
Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iPhone Top Left Hole Punch Face ID Feature Purple

iPhone 18 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 12 New Features

Thursday January 15, 2026 10:56 am PST by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not expected to launch for another eight months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped 12 features rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro models, as of January 2026: The same overall design is expected, with 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch display sizes, and a "plateau" housing three rear cameras Under-screen Face ID...
Apple MacBook Pro M4 hero

These 5 Apple Products Will Reportedly Be Upgraded With OLED Displays

Friday January 16, 2026 7:07 pm PST by
Apple plans to upgrade the iPad mini, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, iMac, and MacBook Air with OLED displays between 2026 and 2028, according to DigiTimes. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that the iPad mini and MacBook Pro will receive an OLED display as early as this year, but he does not expect the MacBook Air to adopt the technology until 2028 at the earliest. A new iPad Air is...
Apple Wallet ID Illinois

Apple Plans to Expand iPhone Driver's Licenses to These 7 U.S. States

Friday January 16, 2026 12:12 pm PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
iOS 27 Mock Quick

iOS 27 Will Add These 8 New Features to Your iPhone

Sunday January 18, 2026 3:51 pm PST by
iOS 27 is still many months away, but there are already plenty of rumors about new features that will be included in the software update. The first beta of iOS 27 will be released during WWDC 2026 in June, and the update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

MacBook Pro Buyers Now Facing Up to a Two-Month Wait Ahead of New Models

Sunday January 18, 2026 6:50 pm PST by
MacBook Pro availability is tightening on Apple's online store, with select configurations facing up to a two-month delivery timeframe in the United States. A few 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro configurations with an M4 Pro chip are not facing any shipping delay, but estimated delivery dates for many configurations with an M4 Max chip range from February 6 to February 24 or even later. At...

Top Rated Comments

johnyslats Avatar
90 months ago
I can wait. As much as carriers and smartphone vendors want us to buy into the ‘5G is here’ hype the infrastructure for widespread adoption just won’t be here for some time
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dannyyankou Avatar
90 months ago
Just kiss and make up with Qualcomm, Apple!
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
KGBguy Avatar
90 months ago
Just kiss and make up with Qualcomm, Apple!
Apple’s Ego is too big for that lol
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kelson Avatar
90 months ago
And this is a problem because?

There is going to be very little actual service coverage in 2019. Not to mention that the 5G chips are massive power drains.

I'm more than happy to wait until 2020 to get a 5G iPhone. This is a non-issue in my mind. I'd like to see continued gains in framework development for App devs, more CPU/GPU power, and better battery life for the 2019 phones.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Baymowe335 Avatar
90 months ago
1. iPhone users won't have 5G anywhere in the world
2. People who buy iPhone in 2019 and most of 2020 won't have 5G for as long as they keep their phones (i.e. long after 5G is available everywhere)

Just like with other new tech (LTE, OLED, NFC, USB-C, wireless charging etc.) Apple customers get it last and sometimes years after others.
I remember when LTE came out. It was trash. I had a Samsung phone with LTE and it was slow, spotty, and never worked well.

iPhones didn't have OLED, but still managed to have some of the best screens in the industry.

Apple isn't last to every technology and when they aren't first, they always make it work better.

Apple also has industry leading silicon.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vicviper789 Avatar
90 months ago
But you will have the icon on some phones! ;)
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)