Apple Adopting Custom-Designed Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Chip in 2025, Cutting Reliance on Broadcom
Apple is switching over to a new Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chip that it designed in-house starting in 2025, reports Bloomberg. The combined Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chip will replace components from Broadcom, allowing Apple to reduce its reliance on the company.
The chip, referred to as "Proxima" internally, will be introduced in Apple products starting in 2025. It will come to the iPhone 17 models, the Apple TV, and HomePod mini to begin with, and to the iPad and the Mac in 2026.
Apple's Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chip is distinct from the 5G modem chip that Apple is also designing, but eventually, Apple wants to combine these into a single component. The overarching goal is to create a wireless setup where the components are tightly integrated and more energy efficient, allowing Apple to cut down on the battery use of cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth technologies.
Apple will also be able to create thinner devices and new wearable technology with the custom chips that it is creating.
Like Qualcomm, Broadcom is a company that has long supplied components to Apple for its devices. Apple does not want to continue to rely so heavily on parts from either Qualcomm or Broadcom, and it will also start phasing out Qualcomm modems in 2025. The iPhone SE, low-end iPad, and iPhone 17 Air are set to adopt Apple's custom 5G modem.
Apple won't be able to stop using components from Broadcom entirely, and it will still use a Broadcom-designed radio frequency filter for modems. Apple is also working with Broadcom on future cloud server chips.
Popular Stories
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support.
Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode
In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
The iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature the biggest ever battery in an iPhone, according to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital."
In a new post, the leaker listed the battery capacities of the iPhone 11 Pro Max through to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, and added that the iPhone 17 Pro Max will feature a battery capacity of 5,000mAh:
iPhone 11 Pro Max: 3,969mAh
iPhone 12 Pro Max: 3,687mAh...
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design.
The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads.
As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research.
The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6.
Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
AppleInsider's Marko Zivkovic today shared a list of alleged identifiers for future Mac models, which should roll out over the next year or so.
The report does not reveal anything too surprising, but it does serve as further evidence that Apple is seemingly working on new models of every Mac, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
Apple is...
