Apple has repeatedly shown that you don't have to make decisions on one to compromise the other. You can launch your own chip (M1), and improve quality (battery, perf), and improve profits, and get back at intel.
It's the same here. Watch the iFixit teardown videos to see just how big the standalone qualcomm modem chip is. I knew it was big, but it was even bigger than I thought.
Apple moving to an integrated chip can be a win in both quality (battery improvement and space on the SoC to put other stuff), cost, and getting back at qualcomm (who is getting more and more like Intel of mobile world, comfortable, monopolistic, litigative). They've proven that a vertically integrated SoC is better in every way.
So maybe stop arguing whether it's "this or that" it's this and that.