For all the rumor roundups that I write about the iPhone 7, I though it might be fun to start might own with the introduction of Qualcomm’s newest LTE modem for smartphones and tablets.
iPhone 7 to feature blinding LTE speeds?
Firstly, let’s be really clear, I and the hundred of others that right about the imminent unveiling of Apple’s iPhone 7 have no concrete information to support our claims. While it would follow the company’s past history to see Apple show-off the iPhone 7 in March at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA, that doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen.
But it should and I’ve not struggled in the the past to speculate on what it will entail so why stop now. Today, Qualcomm revealed its Snapdragon X16 LTE modem for use in mobile devices. It will offer users the opportunity to receive data at up to one gigabyte-per second in something that could easily be called a sneak-peak at 5G wireless LTE data.
As Qualcomm has been making the modem for the iPhone in many of its iterations for some time, does this mean that it will be built into the iPhone 7 when it’s shown in March? We’ll get back to that, let’s talk about this X16 LTE modem that will be shown to the world at the Mobile World Congress in a few weeks’ time in Barcelona.
Assuming you have the carrier, and you don’t (at least not yet), your iPhone 7 could have internet speeds essentially equal to those using Google Fiber at home or at work. The X16 LTE is two-thirds faster than Qualcomm’s 2015 LTE modems presently on the market.
Again, you don’t have the carrier for that speed
I mean, chances are, you’re not even close. T-Mobile is largely considered the fastest LTE network in the United States and that clocks in at a paltry 12 mbps compared to the capabilities of the X16 LTE modem unveiled today.
Australia’s Telestra claims that some devices connected to its network can see around 450 mbps, chances are that’s of little help. So why would Apple even think about offering the new modem when it unveils the iPhone 7?
In a couple of words…carrier aggregation. This technology allows the modem to combine multiple wireless connections to deliver data at higher speeds. The iPhone 6S, already uses this technology to a degree and the X16 modem from Qualcomm allows the for the aggregation of up to four separate connections.
So Apple won’t be using the X16 modem?
Not so fast. While the X16 won’t be available for commercial production until June, Qualcomm as of today had already supplied it to makers of smartphones, companies like Apple. Now what if Apple maybe got a sneak peak awhile back? If the iPhone 7 were to be shown in March, following Apple’s record that phone won’t even be available for pre-order until late summer/early fall. Plenty of time to get it into the iPhone 7?
Apple needn’t point out the fact that your carrier won’t provide the speed the modem is capable of receiving data just that you will get “instantaneous 360 video, perfect video calling, and movies in seconds.”
Rumors persist that EE in the UK will be testing a 1 Gbps network in London by the end of 2016 while other carriers worldwide might be quickly joining them.
If the United States were to have a carrier to the same in say two years, wouldn’t it make sense that Apple uses the new modem from a proved and reliable supplier?
Who knows but we should soon.
