The iPhone 16e carries forward the legacy of the iPhone SE Series in a grand style with a revamped design and massive performance upgrades. However, there’s one change that is not hyped enough – the new C1 Modem. Apple has finally developed an in-house 5G modem after a six-year wait, and this is by far the biggest leap the company has taken after introducing its M-Series chips on Macs.
Apple’s C1 Modem: The Origin Story
The C1 Modem is not a surprise, as it has been a long-due project. During the early days of the iPhone, Apple used Intel’s modems for 3G, 4G LTE, and other connectivity services. However, with the introduction of 5G, Intel failed to catch up with the competition, and Qualcomm amassed a massive lead in 5G modems.
Qualcomm’s 5G tech was unmatched in the industry, forcing Apple to use their modems in their iPhones. However, Qualcomm realized its dominant position in the market and would charge a premium for its technology. Since Apple holds high standards for its products, the company was cornered into giving up on Qualcomm’s demands.
But Apple is Apple, a company that has a history of revolutionizing the way humans use technology. Whether it be smartphones, laptops, or the latest example of AirPods, Apple has been a clear trendsetter for the world. But with Qualcomm, the bully just got bullied himself.
To avenge this, Apple acquired Intel’s modem division in 2019 in a quest to develop its in-house modem and reduce dependency on Qualcomm. However, the project has taken over six years, and we finally witnessed the first outcome in the form of the C1 Modem on the iPhone 16e.
Apple C1 Modem: What’s Special?
The C1 Modem is integrated into the A18 chip on the iPhone 16e. Apple says that it is the most efficient 5G modem, and it also helps to improve the battery life.
For comparison, the iPhone 16, with the same A18 chip but with a Qualcomm modem, is rated for up to 22 hours of battery life. The iPhone 16e is rated for up to 26 hours of battery life by Apple. That’s a huge difference just because of a modem.
Coming to technical specifications, the C1 Modem supports 5G (sub-6GHz), Gigabit-class 4G LTE, WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and Emergency SOS Satellite Connectivity. It has all the necessities that you expect for seamless connectivity on your smartphone. However, it also misses out on some useful features.
The C1 Modem does not support Ultra Wide Band connectivity, which is used to trace Apple Airtags. Hence, you won’t be able to track down your Airtag with pinpoint accuracy compared to other iPhone models. It also lacks WiFi 7 support, which, although it is not a huge drawback, is still a setback considering Apple’s standards.
This does not mean that Apple has yet to figure out these things. Remember that the iPhone 16e is a budget smartphone that replaces the iPhone SE, so it is obvious that Apple will cut some corners. Hence, it is possible that we may see UWB support on the next modem, probably on the iPhone 17 Series.
End of Apple-Qualcomm Partnership for Modems
Apple was expected to close its contract with Qualcomm in 2023. However, since the company was not ready with its in-house modems, the deal was officially extended up to 2026. With the arrival of the C1 modem, it looks like Apple is now ready to move on completely, and Qualcomm may just have lost one of its biggest clients.
To recall, Apple introduced its M-Series chips on Macbooks in 2020 and completely stopped using Intel processors. That move also allowed Apple to have better control over software-hardware integration. The M-Series chips developed on the modern ARM architecture have also been more efficient compared to x86-based Intel CPUs.
A similar story is now building with the C1 modem. In its first attempt, Apple managed to improve the battery efficiency and power consumption of the iPhone 16e by almost 25%. It won’t be surprising to see that all the upcoming iPhones, cellular iPads, and Apple Watches have in-house modems instead of Qualcomm.
