iPhone 7 likely to feature Intel modem, not Qualcomm
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E-mail CRI, March 13, 2015
Apple is approaching Intel to use its new modem chip on the next-generation iPhone. The deal, if inked, will be a major step forward for Intel into the smartphone market.
Being a leading chipmaker in the PC market, Intel has acknowledged that it is running behind rival Qualcomm in the smartphone market, and is hoping to turn the situation around by partly replacing Qualcomm as the modem provider for iPhones, Venturebeat.com reports.
For months, Apple's engineers have been working with Intel's engineers to make the XMM 7360 modem ready for the iPhone in 2016, the report cited unnamed sources as saying.
Apple wants to use the modem on a special version of the new iPhone that will be sold in emerging markets in Asia and Latin America.
The 7360 modem, which Intel just announced this month, can provide download speeds up to 450 Mbps (megabits per second), and has been praised by industry analysts for being fast and power-efficient.
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus use Qualcomm's MDM9625 modem which supports speeds up to 150 Mbps.
Qualcomm has provided modems for generations of iPhones.
Neither Apple nor Intel commented on the Venturebeat report.
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