On the road to de-Qualcommization, Apple has not stopped. Recently, China Taiwan Business Times quoted supply chain sources as saying that the iPhone 15, which will be released in 2023, will use Apple’s self-developed chips for the first time. 5nm and the self-developed RF IC will use TSMC’s 7nm process technology.
It is reported that Apple’s self-developed 5G baseband chip and supporting RF IC have been designed, and trial production and sample delivery will be carried out in the near future, and it is expected to be put into production in 2023. It is reported that the iPhone 14 released in 2022 will still use Qualcomm’s X65 baseband to transition.
In fact, Apple’s “de-Qualcommization” determination has not stopped, in order to reduce its dependence on Qualcomm and reduce the expenditure on patent fees. To this end, he did not hesitate to engage in bad relations with Qualcomm and started a litigation war for many years.
Since 2016, Apple has intentionally cultivated Intel baseband chips. In 2019, Apple acquired Intel’s mobile phone baseband chip division for $1 billion and obtained 8,500 cellular patents and connected device patents.
Although the reputation of Intel’s baseband signal was widely criticized later, it also accumulated a large number of technical patents and R&D experience for Apple. Now the news that the iPhone 15 will use all self-developed chips has undoubtedly once again confirmed Apple’s determination to de-Qualify.