Like, follow, you don't get lost in the digital realm! Apple and Qualcomm have renewed their license agreement, which means that Apple's iPhones will continue to use Qualcomm's modems for years to come. The news was announced at Qualcomm's earnings conference, which is reminiscent of the grudge between Apple and Qualcomm.
Originally, Apple planned to launch a modem chip of its own design in 2024, but the plan was postponed. I heard that Apple's engineers encountered some problems during the research and development process, such as they found that the "Apple logo" on the Apple chip was too large to fit into the small 5G chip. So they decided to stick with Qualcomm's modem for the first time and give themselves a little time to refine the design.
It's a somewhat awkward situation for Apple. They have been trying to reduce their dependence on Qualcomm, but the reality has forced them to continue working with Qualcomm. Perhaps, this can be seen as an example of Apple and Qualcomm "win-win cooperation", just like the two "sworn enemies" in the movie finally come together to form a superhero league.
This year's iPhone 16 Pro series will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X75 baseband chip, which means that Qualcomm's technology is still Apple's top choice. The iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus will continue to use the Snapdragon X70 baseband chip introduced from the previous generation of iPhones. It can be said that Qualcomm's modem plays an important role in Apple products, like a supporting character in a movie, although not the main character, but an essential part of the story.
Overall, the extension of the license agreement gives Apple more time to develop its own 5G modem technology. Perhaps one day in the future, we will see a chip entirely designed by Apple unveiled in the iPhone. But until then, let's continue to look forward to the "wonderful collaboration" between Apple and Qualcomm, after all, cooperation is more fun than fighting!