Image credit – iFixit
Last year it was discovered that the A9 chipset for the iPhone 6s was made by Samsung and TSMC, meaning that some models had a Samsung-made chip, while other models had a TSMC-made chipset. This would not have been that big of a deal but it was discovered that on paper, the TSMC chipset provided better battery life.
Like we said, it is only on paper meaning that real world usage will probably be very different. That being said, it looks like this year’s iPhone will also feature different chips, except that these chips are for the modem. Corroborating earlier rumors, a report from Bloomberg has revealed that Intel will be supplying the modem chips for the iPhone 7 this year, but they will not be alone as Qualcomm will also be supplying chips as well.
The report claims that Intel’s modems will be for the iPhone 7 destined for AT&T’s network, while Qualcomm’s modems are for Verizon and for iPhones sold in China. It is unclear why there is a difference in suppliers, but perhaps Apple is trying to shift towards Intel but might be looking to give them a trial run before making the complete switch.
In any case we guess we’ll just have to wait and see if there are any perceivable differences, although once again we reckon that any differences will be on paper as there are other factors affecting your connection speed.
Filed in . Read more about Intel, iPhone, Iphone 7 and Qualcomm.