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At least one iPhone 13 feature is pretty much confirmed

By Anam Hamid

Published: Oct 21, 2020, 6:25 PM

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At least one iPhone 13 feature is pretty much confirmed

A teardown video posted on the Chinese social networking website Weibo has revealed that the iPhone 12 features Qualcomm's Snapdragon X55 modem, the 5G silicon that's also found in high-end Android flagships. Per a new MacRumors report, the iPhone 13 will most likely be equipped with the newer Snapdragon X60 modem.

iPhone 13 review

A snapshot taken from the teardown clip

Apple and Qualcomm ended a two-year-old fight over patent licensing in April 2019. The two giants also entered a six-year extendable licensing agreement and a multiyear chipset supply deal around the same time. Twitter user @dnywlsh has discovered Apple's roadmap for Snapdragon modems in future devices in a settlement filing.

We already knew this. Was confirmed by Apple/Qualcomm in their own lawsuit settlement. pic.twitter.com/XGJcCu5Ty7
— Danny (@dnywlsh) October 21, 2020

The document reveals that it was a part of Apple's plan to release products featuring the Snapdragon X55 modem between June 1, 2020, and May 31, 2021.

Although the X60 modem was announced in February 2020, Qualcomm had said that phones featuring the chip would be launched in early 2021.

The modem is based on the 5nm process, which makes it smaller and more power-efficient than the 7nm-based X55. The modem can also connect to sub-6GHz and mmWave simultaneously for more reliable and faster speeds. It also features sub-6GHz carrier aggregation to boost speeds when the faster mmWave 5G network is not available.

The upcoming Snapdragon 875 mobile chipset will likely come embedded with the Snapdragon X60 5G modem and this will theoretically give forthcoming Android flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S21 an edge over the iPhone 12.

Doesn't look like Apple will meet its ambitious deadline of having a modem ready for commercial use by 2022

The document also reveals that Apple will use the unannounced Snapdragon X65 and X70 modems between June 1, 2022, and May 31, 2024.

That's quite a revelation, as optimistic estimates had implied that Apple's in-house 5G modem would be ready for use in an iPhone by 2022 or 2023. Another source had said that the proprietary silicon may not show up before 2025, and this seems more probable now.

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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.