Most new iPhone rumors we’ve seen lately have tried to nail down what new features Apple’s next handset will include. But today one report is focusing on a feature that the next iPhone might lack.
Apple’s next iPhones won’t include support for gigabit LTE speeds, claims sources speaking to Bloomberg. That’s because while Qualcomm currently offers a modem with support for 1 gigabit LTE download speeds, Intel doesn’t yet have such a modem available. Apple has been using both modems in its devices, and the company reportedly doesn’t want to rely on a single supplier for parts in its flagship device.
Apple and Qualcomm are currently in the middle of a legal battle, with the former company claiming that the latter one has been abusing its position as a manufacturer of important cellphone chips to ask for unreasonable patent licensing terms.
So Apple will likely end up using modems from both Qualcomm and Intel in its next iPhones. And while those Qualcomm modems may be capable of 1 gigabit LTE download speeds, Apple probably doesn’t want to end up offering one version of iPhone that can achieve gigabit LTE speeds and another version that can’t.
All four major US carriers are working toward offering gigabit LTE speeds, with some claiming that we could see this service launch in 2017. We’ll have to wait and see if that pans out for the carriers and if Apple does end up shipping its new iPhones without gigabit LTE support, but even if those things happen, the lack of gigabit LTE may not be a huge deal for Apple’s new iPhones. LTE is still plenty fast for a lot of folks, and it’s unclear how widespread the carriers’ gigabit LTE coverage will be initially.
Do you consider gigabit LTE support a must-have feature in a new smartphone?