Apple unveiled its latest lineup of premium iPhone handsets last September, but the rumor mill is now filled with information regarding the tech giant's next flagship device. There is no official name yet for the iPhone X's follow-up, but tech enthusiasts are fond of calling the 2018 iteration as the iPhone XI. For now, it seems that the smartphone will be the first in the iPhone series to not include a Qualcomm chip, given the chipset maker's ongoing spat with Apple.
It has been known that Apple and Qualcomm's many years of partnership are being tested by recent legal spats. Unfortunately, the battle between the two tech giants seem to have worsened as The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple is no longer using Qualcomm chipsets for the next iPhone model. As a replacement, the company is said to use Intel and MediaTek modem chips to develop their upcoming devices.
Prior to Apple not using Qualcomm chips for the next iPhone, the online publication noted that Qualcomm also made a move that will further ruin the long-standing partnership between the two companies. It was reported that Qualcomm also withheld the software needed to test the Apple device prototypes.
While Apple has still been using Qualcomm chips in their current iPhone handsets, the company has been slowly distancing itself from the chipset firm starting with the release of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in 2016. The said devices use both components from Qualcomm and Intel, and the same case happened with the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus this year. However, as the feud between Apple and Qualcomm intensifies, it is getting more likely that the iPhone XI will completely get rid of Qualcomm chips.
Nevertheless, Qualcomm's recent statements seem to imply the other way around. As reported by Edgadget, the company said that the modem chips needed for the next-gen iPhone model has "already been fully tested and released to Apple."
About the iPhone XI per se, BGR reported that 2018 could see two variants of the model. Similar with the previous iPhone updates, the new handsets will be known as the regular-sized iPhone XI and the massive iPhone XI Plus. It is also rumored that the larger iPhone XI variant will the first from Apple to feature a stylus pen support.
