The iPhone 12's biggest selling point is its 5G connectivity. While it is the first iPhone to connect to next-generation networks, there is always room for improvement. Now, the iPhone 13 may receive a significant 5G upgrade.

It's all thanks to the newly announced Qualcomm X65 modem, which can deliver 5G speeds of up to 10Gbps. And it could be ready in time for the release of the iPhone 13.

The iPhone 12's 5G is powered by the Qualcomm X55, which can handle data speeds of up to 7.5 Gbps. Unfortunately, the phone itself cannot achieve those speeds in the US.

Verizon's mmWave network claims to be the fastest in the world, with download speeds exceeding 1 Gbps. In a real-world environment, this speed would be much lower, especially since mmWave 5G does not travel very far. Therefore, it is far from reaching the 7.5 Gbps limit of the X55 modem, let alone the 10 Gbps speeds offered by the X65.

Nevertheless, Verizon claims that its network could achieve speeds in excess of 10 Gbps, and if more hardware can be deployed, those speeds will be even faster. Of course, it is useless without a proper modem in the handset, so offering up to 10 Gbps is a good way to ensure device readiness no matter what happens with 5G in the next few years.

But even if 5G will take a while to catch up, Qualcomm promises that the X65 will have other advantages as well. Other components are being released for the "RF front end," the system that actually sends the cell signal to the modem. These include a new envelope tracker and an "AI-enhanced signal booster," both of which work together to increase signal strength and reduce power consumption.

Considering that the iPhone 12 lasted only 8 hours and 25 minutes on 5G compared to 10 hours and 23 minutes on 4G in our tests, the reduced power consumption will be a big bonus.

Of course, Apple will not be the only cell phone manufacturer to adopt the Qualcomm X65. But as PCMag points out, the fact that Apple is using its own chips and buying only discrete modems from Qualcomm means that it may be able to take advantage of the new modem before anywhere else.

After all, other handset makers will have to wait for the modem to be integrated into the Snapdragon chipset. Therefore, it is unlikely that other phones will have the X65 by early 2022. iPhone 13 is expected to arrive in September, which could give Apple an early advantage.