Apple is anticipated to unveil its flagship iPhone 12 series in September. Rumors about the iPhone 12 and its 5G modem have been rife online since 2019. Ahead of the rumored unveiling, a reliable publication reveals that the Cupertino-based tech giant might use a higher spec 5G modem.
The new piece of information about the 5G modem of the iPhone 12 series comes from the Taiwan-based publication Digitimes as spotted by MacRumors. The site claims that TSMC, the Cupertino tech giant's chip maker, will start manufacturing A14 chips and the Snapdragon x60 modems this month. These would be used for the upcoming iPhones scheduled to debut later in 2020, the site added.
Earlier, there were reports that Apple would equip the upcoming iPhone 12 series with Qualcomm X55 5G modem. Just like Qualcomm X55, the X60 is founded on a 5nm process, but it offers higher power efficiency into a much smaller footprint. Additionally, smartphones with X60 5G modem are capable of simultaneously aggregating data not only for sub-6GHz but also for mmWave band.
As a result, the X60 5G modem can achieve low-latency and high-speed network coverage, thus providing much-improved wireless data performance. Qualcomm introduced the X60 modem in February 2020, and it appeared like it was slated for iPhones arriving in 2021 instead of 2020. Despite its better specs, the Cupertino tech giant still needs to test the modem, and its production would take time.
Qualcomm noted that smartphones with X60 5G modems are anticipated to launch in the early part of 2021. The latest information from Digitimes is not yet official, and it is safer to take this with a good measure of salt. The Taiwan-based publication occasionally publishes reports about Apple and other tech companies.
It cites sources within the Cupertino tech giant's supply chain. While the site is often dismissed as being inaccurate, it also shares reliable information every so often. For instance, Digitimes reported in Jan 2020 that Apple would release a backlit keyboard with scissor-switch keys for iPad Pro. A couple of months later, Apple introduced the Magic Keyboard.
In other Apple news, the company is scheduled to hold the WWDC 2020 on Jun 22, 2020. The digital event is anticipated to launch new Apple products (hardware and software). Whispers online claim that the Cupertino tech company might announce its MacBook ARM at the event. Some tech enthusiasts, however, dismiss this claim considering that Apple still needs to inform developers on how to recode their apps for the new processor.
