Apple’s plans to develop its own 5G modem chips for use in its iPhones have been delayed, with analysts now warning it won’t come to market until 2025 at the latest.

Apple is currently using Qualcomm’s 5G modem chip in all its iPhones, a partnership that launched with 2020’s iPhone 12, but stems from a six-year contract signed in April 2019.

The two companies have a tortured history, with Qualcomm successfully blocking Apple’s earlier development of a 5G modem chip through a pair of patents it holds.

Apple then bought Intel’s smartphone modem chip business in 2020, which included a set of patents, manufacturing equipment, and 2.200 employees. Apple had originally hoped that next year’s iPhone 15 would feature its own 5G chip in 80 per cent of its phones, fulfilling its Qualcomm contract with the remaining 20 per cent.

In a note to clients, Haitong International Securities analyst Jeff Pu writes that Apple will instead use the Snapdragon X75 5G modem in next year’s iPhone 15 models.

Pu notes that 2025 is only the earliest date that Apple will use its own chips – it may very well occur later.