Apple has been working on a custom Wi-Fi chip for years now. It seems we might see the results of this hard work in next year’s iPhone 17 lineup. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Cupertino is planning to use its own Wi-Fi chip with the next iPhone models.
Kuo says that Apple plans to reduce its reliance on Broadcom, which supplies the company with over 300 million chips per year. Starting with the iPhone 17, Apple wants to use its own Wi-Fi chips, which will use TSMC’s N7 process and support the latest Wi-Fi 7 specs.
The analyst believes “nearly all products” will move to in-house Wi-Fi chips by the end of 2028. According to Kuo, this change will “reduce costs and enhance Apple’s ecosystem integration advantages.”
Interestingly enough, Apple is also rumored to be planning to add a custom cellular chip for the iPhone SE 4 starting next year. While it’s unclear if the company will be able to move away from Qualcomm, Apple’s ultimate goal is to create a single cellular modem that can be integrated with the Wi-Fi (and Bluetooth) chip.
If Cupertino is successful with that transition, future iPhones could have an improved battery since Apple would handle everything from the main processor to the connectivity modem while also making the phone smaller/thinner.
Since these changes can be challenging, Apple will start with the new cellular modem with the iPhone SE 4 and won’t likely expand it to the iPhone 17 lineup. However, if the company adds a new Wi-Fi chip, it will likely be available with the new iPhone 17 Air/Slim, which is said to be Apple’s boldest take on the iPhone yet.
This ultra-thin device is expected to replace the Plus model but with a different approach. This iPhone is expected to have a unique design, a single rear camera, and an A19 chip. The details about this future phone are still unclear, but it’s possible that Apple might add a new Wi-Fi chip for this iPhone 17 model before moving it to the regular and Pro versions.
You can find all the latest rumors about the iPhone 17 below.
