Credit: Ryan Haines / Android Authority
- A new report has detailed Apple’s first 5G modem, which is set to appear in the next iPhone SE.
- The new modem will apparently lack mmWave 5G and feature lower speeds than previous iPhones and flagship Android phones.
- Apple wants to catch up to Qualcomm’s modems with its third-generation release in 2027.
Apple has been working on its own 5G modem for a long time, with reports over the years pointing to a raft of issues and delays. We previously heard that this in-house modem could debut on the iPhone SE 2025, and we’ve now heard plenty more apparent details about the company’s modem roadmap.
Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter, that Apple will indeed debut its 5G modem inside the iPhone SE next year. This first effort is apparently codenamed Sinope and is also slated to appear in some lower-tier iPads next year. Furthermore, the outlet adds that this modem will come to a slimmer “mid-tier” iPhone codenamed D23, which sounds like the rumored iPhone 17 Air.