Every 2027 iPhone could ditch Qualcomm, but Apple can't escape it

Every 2027 iPhone will likely use Apple's own modems and nothing from Qualcomm, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, which would remove the last holdout in the US iPhone 18 Pro Max. Oddly enough, the prediction comes just days after Apple and Qualcomm renewed their global patent license, which kicks in on April 1, 2027.

Why the iPhone 18 Pro Max still has a Qualcomm modem

Gurman shared the prediction in his latest Power On newsletter, and as Bloomberg's lead Apple reporter, he has a long track record on Apple's supply chain plans. He says development delays and the contract obligations that came with them kept Qualcomm in some models this year, most notably the US iPhone 18 Pro Max, and a teardown by TechInsights confirmed it runs Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80.

The twist is the new deal itself, which Qualcomm announced in a press release on September 24. It covers patents and royalties rather than modem supply, and Gurman reads it as a sign that Qualcomm believes Apple's modems use some of its patents, with both sides choosing a license over another court fight.



Of course, neither side has shared how long the deal runs or how much Apple pays.

Why Apple will keep paying Qualcomm after dropping its modems

For US Pro Max owners, the obvious worry is mmWave, the extra-fast but short-range 5G found in big city centers and stadiums, and the reason the US Pro models have stuck with Qualcomm. However, Apple says its C2 modem now supports mmWave in the US, while using 15% less energy than the C1X, and it already powers the smaller iPhone 18 Pro.

That leaves a fair question: why keep paying Qualcomm once its chips are gone? It comes down to two separate kinds of deals. A supply deal is Apple buying the modem hardware, while a patent license pays for inventions built into the 5G standard itself, and Qualcomm licenses those patents to phone makers no matter whose modem ends up inside.

It should be noted that this is what the two companies fought over in court for years, before settling back in 2019.

As for performance, Apple's modems have caught up more than you might expect. Ookla's own analysis of Q4 2025 data found the iPhone Air's C1X matched Qualcomm's X80 on download speeds and beat it on latency in 19 of 22 markets, although the X80 kept up to a 32% lead on uploads.

It also backs up Gurman's point that after tens of billions of dollars and roughly eight years of work, Apple's modems have only just caught up with Qualcomm's.

What changes for US iPhone Pro Max buyers in 2027

If you're outside the US or bought the smaller iPhone 18 Pro, you're already using Apple's C2, so next year's switch changes nothing for you. The people it does affect are US buyers of the biggest Pro model, who will likely trade Qualcomm's X80 for Apple's own modem.



Based on the C2, that should mean keeping mmWave and gaining a bit of battery life, with uploads being the one area worth watching once reviews come in.

Apple finally breaks free, at least on the chip side

I'm not too worried about the switch, since the numbers show Apple's modems holding their own and the C2 already covers mmWave.

I'm hoping the 2027 Pro Max arrives with upload speeds that finally close the gap. If Apple pulls that off, I'll happily call its modem effort worth the wait.

More on the iPhone 18 Pro Max and Apple's modems:

• See why Qualcomm's iPhone business is shrinking fast
• Everything to know about the iPhone 18 Pro Max
• Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max

• Follow me on X and Threads

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