Apple's iPhone SE 4 To Feature TSMC's In-House 5G Modem, But It May Lag Behind Qualcomm's Snapdragon X75

Apple Inc. AAPL reportedly plans to introduce its first in-house 5G modem, manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. TSM, in the upcoming iPhone SE 4 — but early reports suggest it may not match the performance of Qualcomm Inc.'s QCOM Snapdragon X75.

What Happened: The iPhone SE 4, expected to be unveiled on Feb. 19, marks Apple’s transition away from Qualcomm’s cellular modems. Apple is reportedly using its self-developed 5G modem, produced by TSMC.

According to a new report from South Korea, Apple’s first-generation modem will lack mmWave 5G support, a feature that enables ultra-fast speeds in dense urban areas.

The modem may offer fewer carrier aggregation features, potentially resulting in slower upload and download speeds compared to the iPhone 16 series, which has Qualcomm's Snapdragon X75.

Apple's modem is also expected to support Dual Sim Dual Standby and be deeply integrated with its custom-designed processors.

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Why It’s Important: According to available reports and rumors, the iPhone SE 4 will have a 6.1-inch OLED Super Retina XDR display, similar to the iPhone 14. It may also feature the A18 chip with 8GB of RAM from the iPhone 16 series and support Apple Intelligence.

Camera upgrades include a 48MP rear and 12MP front camera from the iPhone 15, but the ultra-wide lens may be removed.

With new features and design changes, a price increase is possible. The iPhone SE 4 could go on sale on Feb. 28.

Price Action: Apple’s shares inched up 0.02% in after-hours trading, reaching $244.64, per Benzinga Pro data.

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