C1

When Apple launched its iPhone 16e earlier this year, it included a brand new component: the C1 modem. But more recent devices like the M3 iPad Air and A16 iPad haven’t included it. Here’s where the C1 will appear next, and which products are not expected to get it.

Apple launched C1, its first in-house 5G modem, earlier this year with the iPhone 16e and early findings suggested it performed well against Qualcomm’s own modems. Now a new study says otherwise—but with the huge asterisk that it was paid for by Qualcomm.

Apple’s C1 modem launched this year in the iPhone 16e, but without much company fanfare. But Tim Cook just expressed C1’s strengths in a way that Apple—for good reason—shied away from previously.

Apple launched its first in-house modem last month: the C1. The new modem comes with a pair of key features outside of already outperforming Qualcomm’s 5G option. But per rumors, Apple’s C-class modems could bring even more product upgrades in the future—including two that are especially huge.

Apple spent many years developing the technology behind its new C1 modem. But before the iPhone 16e’s launch, expectations were that Apple’s C1 would trail Qualcomm’s own 5G modem—at least in this first version. A just-published study of real-world findings, however, tells a different story.

Apple this year introduced C1, its first in-house 5G modem, with the iPhone 16e. However, the company isn’t expected to bring its own modem to more expensive iPhones until at least next year. Analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities has now corroborated this rumor by saying that Apple is working on a new version of its modem for the iPhone 18 Pro models.

Apple’s first modem, the C1 chip, had one notable omission: there’s no support for mmWave 5G, the ultra-fast variant of 5G.

While I expressed my view at the time that this was no big deal, given that there’s been very limited rollout by carriers, it seems there may be a very specific reason for the decision …

When we look back on the iPhone 16e years from now, the thing we’ll all remember is that it was the first iPhone to use Apple’s own modem.

Even though the two companies have a testy relationship, Apple has historically relied on Qualcomm for modems. The C1 chip in the iPhone 16e is Apple’s first step toward breaking up with Qualcomm.

Qualcomm, however, says it’s not worried about the competition posed by Apple’s foray into modems…

The iPhone 16e is a unique phone for many reasons. The most notable feature, however, is that it includes Apple’s first-ever cellular modem, the C1. In an interview with Reuters this week, Johny Srouji, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies, teased that the C1 is “just the start” of Apple’s work in this industry.

Meanwhile, Andru Edwards also had the opportunity to tour Apple’s modem testing labs for a behind-the-scenes look at what went into the development of the new C1 modem.

The new iPhone 16e has a lot going for it, but one surprising shortcoming is its lack of MagSafe support. Some have theorized that Apple’s new C1 modem is the reason, but Apple has just denied that rumor completely.

Apple achieved a major milestone yesterday, when it launched an iPhone with its own in-house modem instead of a Qualcomm one: the C1 chip.

This has been a key goal for the company for a great many years for two reasons, so finally ticking the box is a pretty big moment …

Apple’s latest product, the iPhone 16e, has a lot going for it. But for me personally, it’s not the new model I’m most excited about. This fall’s iPhone 17 Air wins that prize, and one key detail of today’s launch has alleviated my biggest concern about that device: battery life.

After years of development, Apple has unveiled what it calls C1, its first-ever in-house cellular modem. Apple’s latest silicon replaces Qualcomm modem chips previously required for 5G connectivity in the iPhone.