The first 5G iPhone is likely to use an Intel modem, the 8161, and it could hit the stores in 2020, according to a report in the Fast Company. If everything goes as planned, Intel will be the sole provider of iPhone modems, said the report. For prototyping and testing the 5G iPhone, Intel is reportedly working on a precursor to the 8161 called the 8060.

To increase transistor density for more speed and efficiency, Intel is likely to fabricate the 8161 using its 10-nanometre process. The performance of 8060 appears to have triggered a little tension between Apple and Intel due to "heat dissipation issues" that would both raise the temperature and hurt battery life.