The iPhone 16 has only been on the market for a month, but rumors about its successors are already starting. According to a new report by Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 17 will introduce a new key component that is entirely designed by Apple. This move would allow the company in Cupertino to take a step toward reducing its dependence on external suppliers.
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Specifically, the analyst notes that the iPhone 17 will include a new chip that will manage WiFi and Bluetooth connections. As mentioned in a post on X (Twitter), this hardware will be made using TSMC’s 7-nanometer process and will support the latest WiFi 7 specification.
While Kuo does not say whether the WiFi and Bluetooth chip will be available in all iPhone 17 models or just some of the variants, he does mention that Apple plans to use it in other products coming in the second half of 2025.
But the story doesn’t stop there. The company in Cupertino aims to integrate this component into nearly all of its devices within the next three years. This means it could also be used in the iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and HomePod.
The rumored introduction of Apple’s new WiFi 7 + Bluetooth chip in the iPhone 17 could be a significant setback for Broadcom. According to Kuo, the company currently supplies 300 million units of this component each year to Apple. If Tim Cook’s team successfully transitions to in-house development, Broadcom could lose one of its most important clients.
The iPhone 17 would feature Apple’s new WiFi 7 chip.
One thing that has characterized Apple in recent years is its strategy to reduce dependence on external hardware suppliers. A major milestone in this plan has been the introduction of Apple Silicon. However, the company’s ambitions go even further. For some time, its engineers have been working on developing their own 5G modem for the iPhone, and it looks like this will debut in 2025 with the iPhone SE 4.
That said, it’s important to clarify that the news Kuo is suggesting about the iPhone 17 refers to a chip focused solely on WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. At no point does he mention 5G networks, so we can’t know if the new component designed by Apple will also handle them.
Recently, 9to5Mac reported that the 5G modem Apple is developing for the iPhone SE 4 will not be limited to cellular coverage. The component, codenamed Centauri, will also manage GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. What isn’t clear is whether the Wi-Fi + Bluetooth chip in the iPhone 17 will be the same as the one in the iPhone SE 4, but without 5G and GPS capabilities, or if it will be developed separately.
Keep in mind that, just as Broadcom is mentioned as the supplier of the WiFi and Bluetooth chips for Apple devices, modern iPhones are equipped with 5G modems from Qualcomm. Earlier this year, Apple extended that partnership until March 2027.
