Speculation continued to mount over the timeline for Apple’s long-awaited self-developed iPhone modems, with Bloomberg reporting the company was aiming to overtake the abilities of Qualcomm technology by 2027.

The latest leak and reports from earlier this year indicate Apple’s in-house chips are expected to be first used in an update to the iPhone SE series scheduled for early 2025.

It then is said to be aiming to have a high-end version available in 2026, with a goal for its developments to surpass technology offered by current supplier Qualcomm by 2027.

Rumours surrounding Apple’s development of its own smartphone modems have been circulating for years, with speculation ramping in 2019 when it struck a deal to acquire the majority of Intel’s business focused on the area. The buy came in the wake of the latter abandoning its own 5G smartphone modem project.

In the years since, news outlets have claimed several target dates for launch. Initially these were placed at around 2022.

However, Bloomberg branded the project as facing a string of setbacks, with prototypes suffering from issues including overheating and being too large.

As its timeline continued to be pushed back, Apple signed an extension with Qualcomm, which expires in 2027.