Apple’s new affordable model will be a part of its latest lineup after three years, with the iPhone SE 4 expected to enter mass production in December and will sport a design like no other low-cost handset from the technology giant. It will be the first time that various new technologies will make their debut in a non-flagship iPhone, with an analyst stating that Apple’s in-house 5G will be also a part of these specifications.
Custom 5G modem will be seen as a way for Apple to reduce its dependency on Qualcomm, starting with the iPhone SE 4
Despite Qualcomm reportedly being on Apple’s supply chain for 5G modems until March 2027, the Cupertino giant is not wasting time getting its in-house design ready for action. According to a research note from Haitong International Securities’ analyst Jeff Pu that was spotted by MacRumors, the iPhone SE 4 will be the first to flaunt the in-house baseband chip, making it the first time that Apple will introduce a custom solution that is not an SoC.
A previous estimation from TD Cowen revealed that Qualcomm’s 5G costs $28 a unit, meaning that if Apple were to achieve its 90-million shipment for the iPhone 16 series in 2024, the San Diego chipset maker would have pocketed $2.52 billion. By launching a custom 5G modem, Apple will be paying a significantly lower amount to its partner while also reducing its component costs. With the iPhone SE 4, the company needs to be highly careful of the price, and the only way to do that is to exclude Qualcomm’s 5G modem from the hardware list.
Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies, Johny Srouji, had previously stated that the company cares about developing a custom cellular chip. As for what benefit this solution will bring to the table, a report stated that an in-house 5G modem will not change the user experience, and customers will likely not care about this change. The only possible advantage is that Apple will have greater control over the hardware and software, possibly leading to better battery life and reducing its dependency on Qualcomm.
For those who want to read about the detailed specifications of the iPhone SE 4, we compiled a report last week, mentioning whatever we could about the upcoming handset. While all the hardware information appears to be near-accurate, there is no concrete word on the pricing, but we are confident that this figure will be revealed a few weeks before the official announcement.
