iPhone 16, 17 and 18 series to launch with 5G powered by Qualcomm

Apple is set to announce its latest iPhones tomorrow (September 12, 2023) during the major Wonderlust product event; however, Qualcomm has jumped in ahead of this event with an announcement about the successors to the 15 series.

Unlike many contemporary Android flagships that have moved on to SoCs with integrated wireless modules, those new iPhones will have a discrete chipset for 5G signals - most likely the successor to the Snapdragon X70 modem. Apple had been rumored to replace it with its own in-house version for the 16 series - now, however, Qualcomm has confirmed that this is not the case.

The chip-maker has confirmed that its 5G Modem‑RF Systems will feature in Apple's "smartphone launches in 2024, 2025 and 2026", thereby effectively confirming that the Cupertino giant will not integrate connectivity into its Axx Bionic processors over those years.

Indeed, Qualcomm now hails the renewed partnership as evidence of its "track record of sustained leadership across 5G technologies and products". Oddly, the company has not mentioned any further business with Apple for components to confer next-gen satellite communication on the iPhones of the immediate future.

Buy an iPhone SE (2022) renewed on Amazon