Though a little late than its competitors, Apple is set to enter the 5G space in 2020. According to a report by Nikkei Asian Review, Apple is mobilizing suppliers in order to ship as many as 80 million 5G iPhones in the calendar year 2020. The report said that Apple will launch three flagship 5G iPhone models that will carry the 5G modem chip from Qualcomm.
Apparently the chips making this possible will be a combination of Apple’s next-gen A14 Bionic chip, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X55 modem chip. What’s interesting is that the Apple A14 Bionic is rumored to be the company’s first chip built with 5nm technology. This is interesting as Apple and Qualcomm had only just settled their patent dispute in April.
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Moving from 7nm to 5nm will allow the chip to house more technology on the relatively same surface, making it more efficient. It’s unlikely to be the first 5nm chip, as Huawei is expected to unveil its next Kirin processor which will also be built on 5nm tech. In 2018, Huawei beat Qualcomm to the punch with the world’s first 7nm chip, the Kirin 980. Then this year, the Kirin 990 was the first chip to embed a 5G modem, among many others.
Apple on Wednesday reported its fiscal fourth-quarter 2019 earnings, which saw the company earn a record $64 billion in revenue, up 2 percent year-on-year. But iPhone sales continued to decline compared to last year, bringing in $33.36 billion in revenue, down 9.2 percent. Apple also revealed that it has set a new Q4 earnings record in India and several other markets, including the US, Brazil, and various South-East Asian countries.
Whether the presence of a 5G iPhone will boost the company forward remains to be seen. Their competitors have already taken a lead when it comes to 5G, but Apple has a fanbase of supporters that remain loyal to the company irregardless, so it’s hard to say. We’ll have to wait and see when the 5G iPhones inevitably launch.
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