Apple has recently joined the companies that produce their 5G modem. Apple C1, the company’s first modem solution, is located in the iPhone 16e. This modem, which stands out with its power efficiency, is not used in Apple’s upper segment iPhone models due to some restrictions.
According to Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo; Apple plans to offer an updated C1 model in 2025. This new version will eliminate the biggest deficiency: the lack of MMWave support.
The current Apple C1 supports only the sub-6GHz 5G connection. The components of the modem include a 4nm or 5nm base band chip, 7NM low-frequency-vareciers, 7NM intermediate frequency modules and a power management integrated circuit with a production process of 55nm. However, according to Kuo, Apple will not carry the base band chip to the 3nm process in the new model. This is due to the fact that the component that consumes the most power in 5G modems is not the base band and therefore cannot be made in power efficiency.
Instead, Apple will add MMWave receiver-victims and front-end components with the 28nm production process and will make the highest 5G speeds possible. However, these speeds can only be used in areas with MMWave infrastructure. KUO emphasizes that it is not technically difficult to make MMWave connection possible, but it is a more complex process to develop a stable and powerful MMWave modem.
Apple may not use C1 updated in all iPhone 17s
Kuo’s previous reports, Apple’s C1 modem will use the iPhone 17 Air model. In addition, the company’s own Wi-Fi chip will be included in this model. However, the remaining models of the iPhone 17 series continue to use Qualcomm’s 5G modems, Apple will switch to the Wi-Fi chip. Previously, Apple used Broadcom’s solutions for Wi-Fi connection.
For the time being, it is not clear whether the C1 modem will not be included in most of the iPhone 17 models due to the lack of current agreements with Apple’s Qualcomm or MMWave support. However, the updated C1 seems to be likely to integrate the iPhone 18 series, not only the iPhone 17 Air in 2025. There is no information about whether Apple is working on the C2 chip, which will be the continuation model of C1.