The iPhone 15 series will continue to feature Qualcomm 5G modems, according to a report today by DigiTimes, as development at Apple on a custom-made chip continues.
Apple is currently developing an in-house 5G modem that aims to replace Qualcomm's Snapdragon 5G chips within the coming years. The report today says that TSMC will be the main supplier of the Qualcomm 5G chip for use in the iPhone 15 series, using the 5nm and 4nm process.
The iPhone 14 series includes the Snapdragon X65 modem, which helps improve 5G speeds and battery life. The iPhone 15 is rumored to include the more advanced X70 chip, which features artificial intelligence capabilities for faster average speeds, improved coverage, better signal quality, lower latency, and up to 60% improved power efficiency.
Reports initially suggested Apple would make its switch to in-house 5G modems as soon as 2023, but follow-up reports suggested Apple had "failed" on the chip's development and will continue to use Qualcomm modems for the foreseeable future.
Saturday September 12, 2026 3:27 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
As noted by Nicolas Lellouche, who writes for the French tech website Numerama, Apple has updated its tech specs pages for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max to clarify which models are equipped with its new C2 cellular modem and where.
Apple now says the iPhone 18 Pro has a C2 modem worldwide, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses the chip in every country except for the U.S.
According...
Friday September 18, 2026 12:41 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
TechInsights has published an iPhone 18 Pro Max teardown that confirms the U.S. version of the device is equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 modem.
The device's modem firmware had already pointed towards the Snapdragon X80 modem.
The smaller iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone Duo use Apple's custom-designed C2 modem worldwide, and the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses the C2 modem in every other...
Qualcomm is increasing prices for its chips by double digits starting tomorrow. Qualcomm announced the impending price hike back in July, letting customers know prices would go up for chips shipped after September 1.
Qualcomm said it cannot continue to absorb increasing supplier costs. "We're just passing through big cost increases that we have," said Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon in an...
What does “artificial intelligence capabilities” for a modem mean? Regurgitating marketing speak?
I think anyone that uses the words artificial intelligence should stipulate the level of intelligence. For example, “pretty clever hamster” or “thoroughly disinterested cat”.
Apple's first foldable iPhone, with a book-style design featuring a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner display with a minimal crease down the middle.
