Apple iPhone 12 5G launch delayed, hints Qualcomm in its earnings report

You may have to wait longer for 5G iPhones this year. Apple’s new chip partner Qualcomm in its Q3 earnings report has hinted at the same.

The chipmaker cited the “delay of a global 5G flagship phone launch” as one of the reasons for lowering fiscal fourth-quarter earnings projections.

The 5G flagship phone here is widely assumed to be the iPhone 12. TheVerge pointed out that Apple’s iPhone 12 is the only big enough smartphone that required Qualcomm to disclose the material impact in the report. 

It further said that Apple is the only big brand left to release a flagship phone this year. The company typically releases its iPhones in September.

"We're seeing a partial impact from the delay of a flagship phone launch. And so what we've seen is a slight delay that pushes some of the units out from the September quarter to the December quarter for us," Chief Financial Officer Akash Palkhiwala told Reuters in an interview.

Qualcomm’s new report also corroborates recent rumours that Apple may delay its 5G iPhones. The company is said to have been grappling with the Covid-19 disruptions such as production slowdowns. The launch event, however, may go as per schedule with a focus on the LTE models.

In case you did not know, Apple and Qualcomm just last year called a truce to reach a $4.5 billion settlement. The agreement is likely to help Apple get back in the 5G race currently led by the likes of Samsung and Huawei.

The agreement also helps Apple buy some time before it begins to develop its mobile chips. Apple last year acquired Intel’s smartphone modem business for $1 billion. Already, the company has started making inroads for an in-house chip with Apple silicon.