Apple’s first 5G modem may even lag behind older Android flagships

Apple has long been working on its own 5G modem, with reports over the years of a multitude of problems and delays. We have already heard that this internal modem could debut on the market. iPhone SE 2025and we’ve now heard many more apparent details about the company’s modem roadmap.

Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the matter, that Apple will indeed launch its 5G modem inside the iPhone SE next year. This first effort is apparently codenamed Sinope and is also expected to appear on some lower-tier iPads next year. Additionally, the outlet adds that this modem will be aimed at a slimmer “mid-range” iPhone, codenamed D23, which resembles the rumored iPhone 17 Air.

Apple’s first 5G modem could be a big downgrade

This first modem will actually be a step back from the Qualcomm-supplied modems used in the latest generations of iPhones. It won’t support the fast but temperamental mmWave 5G standard used by T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T in some areas. This differs greatly best android phones in the United States, which generally supports mmWave connections in addition to the more widespread sub-6 GHz 5G standard. In fact, many older flagship Android phones offer mmWave connectivity in the market. This omission may not be a disaster, as most cheap Android phones don’t have this feature in the US, and we expect the 2025 iPhone SE to be a mid-range proposition .

Bloomberg also shed light on this first-generation custom Apple modem, claiming that it supports four-carrier aggregation. On the other hand, the Snapdragon X80 Modem supports 6x carrier aggregation and 10x carrier aggregation for mmWave. The new part is expected to achieve downlink speeds of 4 Gbps under laboratory conditions, well below the theoretical speeds of 10 Gbps seen in Qualcomm’s latest three flagship processors. But actual speeds are much lower than in lab tests. So we’re excited to see what kind of speeds you can actually get with a commercial device.

Apple believes the new modem will offer better performance compared to SAR Limitsbetter support for satellite capabilities and efficiency improvements. The company is also reportedly working on supporting dual SIM dual standby capabilities.

Either way, it’s clear that this first Apple modem will be inferior to previous iPhones and many older Android phones. But we will have to wait to see if consumers will notice this degraded experience. After all, it’s one thing to see slightly slower real-world speeds, but it’s another to experience dropped calls, slow switching between Wi-Fi and cellular connections, and unreliable data connectivity. Just ask Google and its Pixel 6 series.

Apple’s roadmap to beat Qualcomm

The outlet also shed light on Apple’s second modem, which is said to be codenamed Ganymede. This modem will apparently be used in the iPhone 18 series and high-end iPads in 2026. Ganymede is set to offer mmWave support, 6Gbps downlink speeds, 6x carrier aggregation for 5G below 6 GHz and 8x carriers for mmWave.

Apple’s third-generation modem is apparently called Prometheus (keeping with the moon-themed names). The company hopes this part will catch up to Qualcomm’s modems in performance and AI capabilities while providing support for next-generation satellite networks.

Following these releases, Apple is discussing integrating the modem into the chipset down the line. In contrast, Qualcomm’s 5G modems have been integrated into its top Snapdragon processors since 2021. An integrated approach generally results in improved efficiency and, therefore, better battery life.

We wouldn’t blame you if you were skeptical of Apple’s lofty modem ambitions. After all, numerous reports over the years have painted a picture of a project in shambles and well behind the rest of the industry. However, Bloomberg reported that Apple had hired “dozens” of Qualcomm employees while reorganizing management and changing development practices in an effort to improve things.