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Apple will officially enter the 5G world this year. This means that the iPhone 12 series will have 5G support - the modem is also said to already be known.
Several independent sources claim that the iPhone 12 will receive Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X55 modem, including Ming-Chi Kuo and Nikkei Asian Review. The Snapdragon X60 modem, introduced in May, is not expected to be available until next year But now DigiTimes claims something completely different. This is what it says in the paid Item:
TSMC to begin chip production for next-generation iPhones in June TSMC will begin manufacturing Apple's custom A14 SoCs and Qualcomm's X60 5G modem chips, both of which will use 5nm technology to power the upcoming iPhones due to launch later in 2020, industry sources said.
The X60 is an iPhone 2021 candidate
The X60 is based on a 5nm architecture and offers higher power efficiency in a smaller footprint compared to the X55. This means that smartphones equipped with the X60 can simultaneously aggregate data from mmWave and sub-6GHz frequencies to achieve an optimal combination of high-speed and low-latency network coverage. According to Qualcomm, however, the new modem will not be used in smartphones until early 2021 at the earliest - Apple, on the other hand, is known to be introducing new iPhone models in the fall. Accordingly, the X60 would be more of a candidate for the iPhone 2021 line-up. Since this rumor has so far only been claimed by DigiTimes, the whole thing should, as always, be viewed with particular skepticism. (Photo by Putilov Denis / Bigstockphoto)
