Qualcomm and Apple extend 5G modem deal through 2026
Apple will continue to use Qualcomm 5G modems for at least three more years thanks to a new agreement between the two companies that was announced today. The new deal will cover iPhone launches in 2024, 2025 and 2026 while the previous accord was set to expire later this year. The news comes after several reports speculating that Apple will move to its own in-house 5G modem solution by 2025.
Apple remains Qualcomm’s largest client, accounting for nearly a quarter of the chipmaker’s revenue. Cupertino has been actively involved in developing its own 5G modem though we’ve heard about some legal problems over patents owned by Qualcomm that expire in 2029 and 2030. Apple hopes to develop its own 5G modem which could be integrated into it’s A-series SoC for a single-chip solution with considerable battery and performance benefits.