Apple is predicted to launch its first 5G smartphone offerings later this year. To feature the newer and faster bandwidth, the Cupertino based giant was rumored to feature a Qualcomm X55 5G modem from 2019. However, a fresh report from DigiTimes says otherwise, because the Taiwanese publication claims that the 2020 iPhone lineup will feature Qualcomm’s latest X60 modem.
According to the report, the world’s largest contract chipmaker and Apple supplier, TSMC, will start manufacturing the A14 chips and Snapdragon X60 modems later this month. These chips are going to be found within the upcoming iPhone 12 series which will launch later this year and are built on the 5nm process, consistent with DigiTimes’ industry sources.
TSMC will start manufacturing Apple’s custom-designed A14 SoCs and Qualcomm’s X60 5G modem chips, with both set to power the upcoming iPhones slated for launch later in 2020, using 5nm process technology in June, according to industry sources.
Being built on a 5nm process means the X60 is going to be more power-efficient than its predecessor, the X55 modem. 5G enabled smartphones are known to be power-hungry when running the new standards of mobile networking. So, the reduction in power consumption would be a welcomed change, especially for the iPhone. Furthermore, the X60 modem can aggregate data from both mmWave and sub-6GHz bands at an equivalent time to realize a mixture of high-speed and low latency.
In addition, when Qualcomm announced Snapdragon X60 5G modem, the firm said that 5G smartphones featuring Snapdragon X60 modem are expected to launch in early 2021. Apart from these, the continued coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the availability chain of most tech giants within the industry. Hence, it’ll be difficult to inform if the corporate manages to build up modem production right in time to satisfy the excess demand for the long-awaited 5G iPhones.
Based on these factors, we’ll need to wait to ascertain if DigiTimes’ claims hold true. If it does, it might mean tons to the 2020 iPhone lineup in terms of overall efficiency. Stay tuned for more updates.
