GoKawiilThe next generation of Apple radio chips is expected to debut in the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Ultra, but a new deal suggests the company doesn’t expect to complete a switch to its own cellular modems before 2031.
The company has committed to retaining and expanding its partnership with radio chip maker Broadcom through 2031 …
Apple’s first modem chip, known as the C1, was introduced in the iPhone 16E last year. That was followed by the C1X later the same year, which is used in the iPhone Air, iPhone 17E and some iPads.
Apple says that the C1 chip is more power-efficient than the third-party chips used in other iPhone models, but they do lack support for mmWave 5G. This is the ultra-high-speed, low-range form of 5G which is more akin to Wi-Fi. It is typically only available at high-traffic locations such as airports, transit stations, and stadiums.
This year’s flagship iPhone models – the iPhone 18 Pro, Pro Max, and Ultra – are expected to get a new C2 chip to add support for mmWave 5G.
These chips are all made by TSMC to Apple’s design, while the company still relies on customized versions of third-party radio chips for some of its other products. A new report indicates that this may remain the case for some years yet.
Reuters reports that Apple has agreed to retain and expand its partnership with Broadcom through 2031.
Broadcom said on Monday it has agreed to expand its partnership with Apple through 2031 to develop and supply a range of custom chips, sending the shares of the chipmaker up nearly 4% in premarket trading. Broadcom has been a supplying key components to Apple for a very long time, including custom radio frequency chips used in iPhones, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity chips and other networking semiconductors.
Wile this could be interpreted to point to Broadcom as a future supplier of C-series chips, TSMC’s technical lead means that it would be the only company able to fabricate the latest-gen Apple chips. This deal would seem to point to either continued use of third-party chips for some years, or the use of older C-series chips for some devices. Either way, a complete switch to the most capable C-series chips would seem to be several years away.