Apple might just be missing a trick in their iPhone 8 launch which can possibly cost them a lot of potential customers! Samsung Galaxy S8 announced that it will be the first phone to tap into super fast cellular network speeds using an advanced form of 4G wireless tech called Gigabit LTE.
Samsung will make the magic happen since it uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor and in some markets, Samsung’s own Exynos 8895 chip, both of which can support Gigabit LTE is supposed to be a signature feature on many premium phones this year.
But shockingly Apple’s next iPhone doesn’t look like it will support the technology since Apple designs its own processor using modems from Qualcomm and Intel and Intel’s latest modems don’t support Gigabit LTE speeds. This means Apple will either have to slow down even the Qualcomm version to make sure all of their iPhones are on the same level of functionality or completely switch to the manufacturer and ditch Intel, a very unlikely proposition.
Apple’s move to skip out on Gigabit LTE could hurt their customer base if they release their “most advanced phone yet” without the premium phone technology. Qualcomm expects that up to 10 Android phones will follow Samsung’s suit in opting for the technology, meaning iPhone will probably the only major phone to skip the technology.
While Gigabit LTE might seem as a fine technicality, for now, carriers are gearing up to highlight the technology and trumpet it as a marketing catalyst for their faster networks, as revealed by T-Mobile CEO John Legere who said that their company will be the first to launch Gigabit LTE this year.
Gigabit LTE promises 18 times more speed than current 4G networks while it will also enable constant updates and speed bumps as the technology advances. So this means a phone bought in 2017 might be getting better in 2018 and beyond. So buying a phone that doesn’t support Gigabit LTE means you’ll be stuck on a slower connection while all other counterparts are zapping past.
Now every iPhone fan must hold his breath and wait to see Apple’s next move. Maybe Apple will employ Qualcomm’s modem in areas expected to host Gigabit LTE and use Intel’s modems elsewhere, but everything is a speculation at the moment!