Starting in 2027, Apple could be taking a big gamble with the iPhone

Just yesterday, TF International’s reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo updated the situation with a tweet stating that his latest survey of the supply chain revealed that shipments of Apple’s 5G modem chips will grow rapidly and eventually Apple’s 5G modem chips will fully replace Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 5G modem chips. This is a pretty risky move on Apple’s part because Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 5G modem chips have a great reputation even inside Apple. And if you were a Pixel 6 Pro user (as I was) you know the pitfalls of using a phone with a 5G modem that is problematic.

Kuo says that deliveries of Apple’s in-house 5G modem will reach 35 million-40 million units next year, 90 million-110 million units in 2026, and 160-180 million units in 2027. Kuo, being the equity analyst he is, also noted that this will not be good for Qualcomm’s 5G chip shipments and licensing revenue. Kuo said back in July that two iPhone models will debut the in-house 5G modem chip in 2025. Those two models are the iPhone SE 4 (expected to be released during the first quarter of next year), and the ultra-slim iPhone 17 Air which could arrive during the third quarter of 2025.