There’s talk that Apple is planning to release an iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem in 2025, according to analyst Jeff Pu.
In a research note with Haitong International Securities on April 11th, Pu said the modem will be manufactured by TSMC, Apple’s chipmaking associate.
Two months ago, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple had restarted development for a 4th-gen iPhone SE that would feature a 6.1-inch OLED display and an Apple-designed 5G modem. Kuo also reported that the modem would also be built with TSMC’s 4nm process, so the current rumours do have some history.
Kuo said that the production of the fourth-generation SE would commence in the first half of 2024, but Pu suspects production will be delayed until 2025.
As for design, the current iPhone SE model was released in March 2022 and is the last model to feature a Home button and Touch ID. It also features Qualcomm’s custom Snapdragon X57 chip for 5G compatibility. Kuo says that the new SE slated would most likely feature a design similar to the iPhone 14 model, meaning a switch to Face ID is probable.
In an effort to design its own modem, Apple acquired the majority of Intel’s smartphone modem business in 2019, reducing its dependence on Qualcomm. It has yet to be seen what benefits the Apple-designed modems will feature, but that could be revealed if these rumours are confirmed.
Source: MacRumors
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