The news of Apple releasing more iPhones in the near future has created a buzz in the tech community. There’s a lot of talk going around about how many models the company will release, what new technology it will use and whether it will finally introduce a more affordable line of handsets for its low-budget customers.

But what no one is paying attention to is the problems Apple faces with its highly anticipated ‘budget’ iPhones.

Qualcomm’s CEO George Davis revealed earlier this week that Apple is using Intel’s cheaper, more inferior modems instead of theirs in the new iPhones

Intel vs. Qualcomm

According to CNET, telecommunications giant Qualcomm, which is also one of Apple’s biggest tech partners, has gone on record to claim that the iPhone maker has created new problems with its ‘budget’ handsets that cannot be fixed.

George Davis, the CEO of Qualcomm financial, says that Apple is compromising on the quality of the new iPhones in order to justify their low price points. He added that the tech giant has decided to use Intel’s modems instead of theirs for the new models.

Intel and Qualcomm are the biggest players in the telecommunications industry but vastly different in terms of quality. Several independent researchers have revealed Qualcomm produces better modems with higher 3G and 4G performance than its competitor, Intel.

Qualcomm’s better modems allow smartphone users to browse the internet at a much better speed than they would with Intel’s modem. In fact, recent data from almost 500,000 T-Mobile users and 570,000 AT&T users showed that Qualcomm modems had almost 53% to 68% faster download speed than Intel. Even in worst case scenario, Qualcomm has 97% to 192% better speed than its competitor.

Legal Battle and Disputes

The difference between the two companies’ quality is massive which is why the company’s sudden switch from Qualcomm to Intel doesn’t seem to make sense. Apple is a high-end tech brand that takes pride in its products’ premium quality in comparison to less-expensive Samsung.

So what changed? The reason behind Apple’s decision to sever ties with Qualcomm is because of a long-standing and acrimonious legal battle between the two companies over a number of disputes including royalties and patent infringement.

Apple and Qualcomm declared revocable differences and broke off their long-running partnership. The iPhone maker has no choice but to turn to Intel for modems – and guess who loses the most out this entire situation? The iPhone users.

The timing of Apple’s broken ties with Qualcomm is crucial, especially with the anticipated arrival of 5G in the near future and Qualcomm’s status as the first manufacturer of a 5G smartphone modem. Intel, on the other hand, is struggling to catch up with its fast-growing competitor.

While many are predicting that Intel will be able to improve its technology in the future after acquiring Apple as its new client, but the quality difference will continue to show in iPhones for years to come.

Upcoming iPhone Models

The new budget iPhone X will carry an LCD screen instead of an OLED and may be the last phone to be released

The modem replacement news hasn’t been taken well by critics who claim that Apple is using inferior components in the new iPhones but isn’t lowering their prices; which only goes to show that the company is ripping its customers off.

Apple is planning to release three new iPhones later this year including a revamped iPhone X with bigger screen and better features as well a smaller, more budget-friendly version. Despite being a premium tech company, price hasn’t been a problem for Apple so far.

Its most expensive phone, iPhone X, costs a thousand dollars but was still the best-selling handset for the first quarter of 2018. iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were the second and the third most popular phones respectively, in the same period. But having a cheaper phone on the market will allow the company to expand its market reach to people who aren’t willing to spend a grand on a smartphone.

Apart from a more refined design we’re expecting the upcoming phones to carry some new features including increased processor speed, more color options, better screen resolution and enhanced battery life.

The cheaper iPhone will feature an LCD screen instead of an OLED one to cut back on cost, and may be the last phone to be shipped out of the three. So if you want to save some money on your new iPhone purchase, you might as well wait till October which is when Apple is planning to unveil the budget iPhone X.

Should Apple rethink its pricing strategy if it plans to use inferior components in new iPhones?