Matti Robinson
16 Jan 2019 9:13
Apple is considering a couple different manufacturers for 5G chips, among which Samsung is an option.
The information was revealed from the court documents from patent dispute between Apple and chipmaker Qualcomm, reports Reuters.
Testimony by Apple VP of Procurement Tony Blevins discloses that Apple has been in talks with Samsung and Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer MediaTek about 5G modems for an upcoming iPhone.
Currently Apple is receiving modems from Intel for their most recent iPhones after patent disputes have turned trade relationships with former partner Qualcomm sour.
Apple has stated that it doesn't want to rely on a single component provider, and as Qualcomm is not an option for upcoming iPhones they've been looking into both Samsung and MediaTek as options for Intel's chips.
Rumors late last year claimed that Apple has pushed 5G adoption back, and thus wouldn't be bringing the new wireless technology to iPhones this year.
2019 will likely be remembered as the year first 5G phones hit the market. However, networks are still in their infancy and adoption rate is probably going to stay reasonably low.