Apple iPhone 2018 series to use only Intel modem chips, no Qualcomm: KGI Report

Apple iPhones for 2018 will switch entirely to Intel for the baseband chips, and the company will not consider Qualcomm as a possible supplier, according to a new report from KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo.

Apple, Apple iPhone X, Apple iPhone 2018, Apple Intel modems, Apple Qualcomm modem, Apple vs Qualcomm, Apple iPhone X 2018

Apple iPhones for 2018 will switch entirely to Intel for the baseband chips, and the company will not consider Qualcomm as a possible supplier,

Apple iPhones for 2018 will switch entirely to Intel for the baseband chips, and the company will not consider Qualcomm as a possible supplier, according to a new report. The latest report on Apple picking only Intel modems in its 2018 iPhone X series comes from KGI Securities’ analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who claims the reason behind this is the ongoing battle between Apple and Qualcomm.

Apple and Qualcomm are currently involved in a legal case in the United States over terms of licensing fees and patent infringements. According to MacRumors, which has shared the report, Kuo thinks Qualcomm will be totally excluded from Apple’s supply chain, though he also speculates this could change if the two players reconcile.

The report also says that Intel’s chips might not be ready for 5G networks and this might get Apple to go with Qualcomm in some cases. Baseband chips on an iPhone is where all radio functions which require an antenna are managed. Kuo is also predicting the new Intel chips will support dual SIM slots, though whether Apple will launch an iPhone with dual-SIM slots is not clearly stated in the report. In the past there have been rumours of a dual-SIM iPhone and in a market like India this could prove to be a game-changer where many users prefer dual-SIM phones.

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Also read: Qualcomm charges Apple with new patent violation complaints

In the Apple vs Qualcomm saga, both players have filed patent infringement suits against each other. Apple has said Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors are infringing their patents. The chipmaker has said that Apple was violating more than 16 of its patents. Qualcomm has also asked the US International Trade Commission that Apple products should be banned from import into the US over the patent violations.

Overall for 2018, Apple is expected to introduce three new iPhone X versions, two of which will have an OLED display, while there will be one LCD display variant. All three will come with the same edge-to-edge display like the current iPhone X and Face ID supported on them.