On September 24, Qualcomm announced the renewal of its global patent license agreement with Apple, with the new agreement taking effect on April 1, 2027. This marks another key renewal, following the 2019 settlement and the expiration of the 2023 chip supply agreement. The rates, duration, and financial terms of the new agreement were not disclosed.

Qualcomm and Apple's existing partnership dates back to the six-year global patent license that took effect on April 1, 2019, with a two-year extension option that could theoretically run through the end of March 2027. In September 2023, Qualcomm announced it would supply Snapdragon 5G modems and RF systems for iPhones launched between 2024 and 2026; that chip supply agreement has now expired. What has been renewed is a pure patent license, not baseband supply. The new arrangement will take over seamlessly from April 1, 2027, allowing Qualcomm's licensing revenue to continue beyond the chip procurement relationship.

In-House Development vs. Licensing

Apple's progress on its in-house baseband is now well established. In 2019, Apple acquired Intel's smartphone modem division for approximately $1 billion, gaining some 2,200 engineers and 17,000 wireless technology patents. In February 2025, the iPhone 16e debuted Apple's self-developed C1 baseband; in September 2025 and March 2026, the iPhone Air and iPhone 17e followed with the upgraded C1X; and in September 2026, the iPhone 18 Pro series and the foldable iPhone Duo adopted the all-new C2 baseband, adding mmWave support and cutting power consumption by around 15%. Currently, only the US version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max retains a Qualcomm modem, fulfilling the legacy contract.

"De-Qualcommization" at the hardware level is clearly the trend, but standard-essential patents (SEPs) are an entirely separate matter from chip procurement. Any device connecting to 4G/5G cellular networks must implement the relevant standards, and Qualcomm's core patents in underlying 3G/4G/5G technologies — covering modulation, RF, and channel coding/decoding — are standard-essential patents that are difficult to circumvent. Apple likewise pays royalties to other key communications patent holders such as Ericsson, Nokia, and Huawei. The essence of this renewal is a shift from the dual "chips + patents" binding toward a relationship built primarily on patent licensing.

The Irreplaceability of Communications Patents

Even if baseband chips can be developed in-house or sourced from alternative suppliers, SEP licenses exist independently of chip procurement. This was repeatedly demonstrated during the 2017–2019 patent disputes, when Apple ultimately chose to settle and sign a multi-year agreement rather than eliminate royalties through litigation.

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