PulseAugur
EN
LIVE 15:00:43

Apple to replace Qualcomm with custom modems in iPhone 18

By PulseAugur Editorial · [2 sources] ·

Apple is reportedly phasing out Qualcomm modems in favor of its own custom-designed chips, starting with the iPhone 18 lineup expected in September 2026. This transition, which has been in development for years, will also bring a privacy enhancement called 'Limit Precise Location' to more iPhone users. This feature restricts the granular location data shared with mobile carriers, potentially limiting them to neighborhood-level accuracy instead of street-level. AI

IMPACT Minimal direct impact on AI operators; primarily a hardware and privacy feature shift for consumers.

RANK_REASON Significant shift in hardware sourcing for a major product line from a Tier-1 tech company. [lever_c_demoted from significant: ic=2 ai=0.1]

Read on Forbes — Innovation →

AI-generated summary · Google Gemini · from 2 sources. How we write summaries →

Apple to replace Qualcomm with custom modems in iPhone 18

How we ranked this

Signal score
0 / 100
Composite score across the factors below. Higher = stronger signal that this story matters right now.
Newsworthiness bucket
Research
Significant shift in hardware sourcing for a major product line from a Tier-1 tech company. [lever_c_demoted from significant: ic=2 ai=0.1]
Source corroboration
2 independent sources
Multiple independent publishers reporting the same story raises confidence that it's real and newsworthy.
Topics
product, other
Editorial topic classification. Feeds into how the story surfaces on /topic/<slug> hub pages and into the per-entity coverage mix.
AI-industry relevance
Low
Off-topic or adjacent — cluster remains reachable but doesn't surface in AI-industry rankings.
Story freshness
137 days old
Aged out of breaking-news scoring windows; ranking reflects the durable signal from the full source set.

Full methodology in our editorial standards.

COVERAGE [2]

  1. Forbes — Innovation TIER_1 English(EN) · David Phelan, Senior Contributor ·

    iPhone 18 To Drop Qualcomm After 15 Years For Apple’s New Custom 5G Modem

    When the iPhone 18 series is released, it’s expected to feature a new modem which will improve privacy in one key way.

  2. Mastodon — fosstodon.org TIER_1 English(EN) · [email protected] ·

    Apple's iPhone 18 Modem Switch Comes With a Quiet Privacy Benefit Rumors suggest Apple plans to expand Apple-designed modems to the entire iPhone 18 lineup, end

    Apple's iPhone 18 Modem Switch Comes With a Quiet Privacy Benefit Rumors suggest Apple plans to expand Apple-designed modems to the entire iPhone 18 lineup, ending support for Qualcomm modems. The transition will bring speed and efficiency improvements, along with a little-known …

    LINKS macrumors.com/…/iphone-18-pro-modem-benef…

RELATED ENTITIES

RELATED TOPICS