Apple has reportedly chosen Intel to supply 50% of the modem chips that will be used inside company’s upcoming iPhone revision widely called iPhone 7. DigiTimes, in a recent report, claims that Intel will be responsible for supplying 50% of the total modem chips required for the iPhone 7 manufacturing.
Numerous previous rumors and reports claimed that in an effort to reduce its reliance on Qualcomm, Apple will be partially switching to Intel for the modem that will be used inside the iPhone 7. The DigiTimes report states that Intel has contracted with King Yuan Electronics and TSMC to manufacture the modem and the company itself will be packaging the chips for Apple.
Reports of Apple switching to Intel for modem chips started making rounds since early 2015. Last month, during company’s earning call, Qualcomm’s CEO himself confirmed that they are expecting one of its biggest modem buyers to switch to a competing product. Apple has long relied on Qualcomm, the leader in the modem technology, for the modem chips for its iPhone devices, so the switch to an Intel chip for its iPhone 7 surely comes as a surprise.
Apple is expected to use Intel’s XM 7360 baseband/modem inside iPhone 7. The said chip has the capabilities to support download rate of up to 450Mbps and upload speed of up to 100Mbps.
Apple is expected to unveil iPhone 7 in September this year. iPhone 7 is widely expected to come with waterproofing capabilities, lack of 3.5mm audio jack, relocation of antenna bands, and an exterior look and feel of the current iPhone 6s with no major redesign.
[via DigiTimes]