The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon X65 modem for faster 5G speeds, lower power consumption, and improved mmWave support on U.S. models, according to a teardown of the devices shared on YouTube today.
The X65 chip can be seen on the logic board in a teardown of the iPhone 14 Pro. We're still in the process of confirming whether the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus also have the X65, but all models within a series typically share the same modem.
iPhone 14 Pro teardown confirms the inclusion of Qualcomm's X65 modem
Qualcomm announced the X65 modem in February 2021 with power efficiency improvements, resulting in improved battery life while using 5G. In addition, the X65 modem is the world's first 10 Gigabit 5G modem and antenna system for smartphones, enabling theoretical data speeds up to 10 gigabits per second. In May 2021, Qualcomm updated its X65 Snapdragon modem with wider mmWave spectrum support.
The power efficiency improvements of both the X65 modem and A16 Bionic chip contribute to longer battery life on iPhone 14 Pro models. A battery test earlier this week claimed that the iPhone 14 Pro Max lasted two hours longer than the iPhone 13 Pro Max from last year. The iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, and iPhone 14 Pro Max are now starting to arrive to customers.
Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Tuesday December 2, 2025 11:09 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple is encouraging iPhone users who are still running iOS 18 to upgrade to iOS 26 by making the iOS 26 software upgrade option more prominent.
Since iOS 26 launched in September, it has been displayed as an optional upgrade at the bottom of the Software Update interface in the Settings app. iOS 18 has been the default operating system option, and users running iOS 18 have seen iOS 18...
Wednesday December 3, 2025 10:33 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today seeded the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 updates to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming two weeks after Apple seeded the third betas. The release candidates represent the final versions of iOS 26.2 and iPadOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found during this final week of testing....
Thursday December 4, 2025 9:30 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In a statement shared with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Apple confirmed that its software design chief Alan Dye will be leaving. Apple said Dye will be succeeded by Stephen Lemay, who has been a software designer at the company since 1999.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Dye will lead a new creative studio within the company's AR/VR division Reality Labs.
On his blog Daring Fireball,...
Monday December 1, 2025 4:37 pm PST by Juli Clover
We're getting closer to the launch of the final major iOS update of the year, with Apple set to release iOS 26.2 in December. We've had three betas so far and are expecting a fourth beta or a release candidate this week, so a launch could follow as soon as next week.
Past Launch Dates
Apple's past iOS x.2 updates from the last few years have all happened right around the middle of the...
Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone.
In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
A U.S. appeals court has upheld a temporary restraining order that prevents OpenAI and Jony Ive's new hardware venture from using the name "io" for products similar to those planned by AI audio startup iyO, Bloomberg Law reports.
iyO sued OpenAI earlier this year after the latter announced its partnership with Ive's new firm, arguing that OpenAI's planned "io" branding was too close to its...
The iPhone Air has recorded the steepest early resale value drop of any iPhone model in years, with new data showing that several configurations have lost almost 50% of their value within ten weeks of launch.
According to a ten-week analysis published by SellCell, Apple's latest lineup is showing a pronounced split in resale performance between the iPhone 17 models and the iPhone Air....
Thursday December 4, 2025 5:18 am PST by Tim Hardwick
iPhone 17 Pro models, it turns out, can't take photos in Night mode when Portrait mode is selected in the Camera app – a capability that's been available on Apple's Pro devices since the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020.
If you're an iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 17 Pro Max owner, try it for yourself: Open the Camera app with Photo selected in the carousel, then cover the rear lenses with your hand to...
Don’t think i saw any reviewer speak about improved signal unfortunately. Battery gains are nice but man apple needs to sprinkle some magic on those antennas.
The X65 is actually a big deal. Not for top theoretical speeds, but it’s much better at aggregating different channels to achieve higher speeds if the cellular site and provider support it.
But the feature I’m most excited about is its ability to use AI to eke out the most from a weak signal. As shown in the article below, the X65 modem has the ability to get over 4 times the throughput with a medium to very weak signal compared to the X60 modem.
I believe Qualcomm sells the modem along with an antenna system. However, I’m not sure the apple uses their antenna system. So if not the performance probably isn’t quite as good as the s22 but should still see improvements over the 13.
I am, and sometimes it's noticeably better, but mainly because on my carrier in Canada in busy areas sometimes the 4G LTE is congested.
What our big three Canadian carriers do is reserve 5G for their main brand, but put the cheaper brands on 4G LTE. This along with the fact that a lot of the installed base isn't on 5G yet means that the 5G service is a lot less congested.
It's not about max download speed though. It's about reliability and reduced lag.
When I got my 13 ProMax last year I noticed a significant improvement overmy 12 ProMax LTE modem. We also live in area of town where the cell signals vary between 1-2 bars in my yard and usually 1 in house with aluminum siding and all. With last years Qualcomm modem I was getting 2 to 3 bars outside sometimes. (Still mostly 2 but better) and 1-2 bars inside. So I saw a major improvement in going to 5G for me I suppose even with weaker signal strength this tower on edge of town had less on 5G vs LTE?
