Apple Says iPhone 16e's New C1 Modem is Just the 'Start' in Interview

Apple's new C1 modem in the iPhone 16e is just the "start," according to the company's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji.

apple c1
"C1 is the start," said Srouji, in an interview with Reuters. "We're going to keep improving that technology each generation, so that it becomes a platform for us that will be used to truly differentiate this technology for our products."

Apple confirmed to Reuters that it plans to use its own cellular modems across more products in the coming years. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said the iPhone 17 Air will also be equipped with the C1 modem.

Apple's in-house modem will allow it to reduce its reliance on Qualcomm, the current supplier of modems for other iPhone models.

Qualcomm expects its share of iPhone modems to drop to as low as 20% by next year.

The C1 modem is manufactured with a 4-nanometer process, and its transceiver is manufactured with a 7-nanometer process, according to Srouji. He said the modem is the most complex technology that Apple has ever built, and it was tested with 180 carriers in 55 countries to ensure reliability for core functionality like phone calls and mobile data.

We are still waiting for C1 modem speed tests.

Srouji said Apple's goal with the C1 modem was not to match the sheer performance or specifications of rival modems, like those from Qualcomm. While the C1 modem might not provide the fastest 5G speeds possible, and lacks mmWave support, Apple says it is the most power-efficient modem ever on an iPhone, contributing to the iPhone 16e having the longest battery life of any 6.1-inch iPhone ever. As expected, the modem has tight integration with the iPhone 16e's software and hardware, including the A18 chip.

"I believe we're building something truly differentiating," said Srouji.

Related Roundup: iPhone 16e
Buyer's Guide: iPhone 16e (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPhone

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Top Rated Comments

citysnaps Avatar
20 weeks ago
A big hat-tip to Johny Srouji. He's hugely responsible for Apple's massive success.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kalafalas Avatar
20 weeks ago
Efficiency and low-signal performance is much more important to me than maximum speed. I am excited to see the tests when it comes out!
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
20 weeks ago
Well yeah, otherwise they would have called it Cfinal.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aevan Avatar
20 weeks ago

There you have it. They still need to test modem speeds but its already on sale. Thanks beta users.
I was a beta user of the M1 Pro chip, and I couldn’t have been happier for it.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Artemiz Avatar
20 weeks ago
They should've started the 16E at $499 considering there's no mmWave or MagSafe. That'd be just and would've driven more sales which would in turn give them more data into performance of the C1.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gigapocket1 Avatar
20 weeks ago
Modem, processor, and all connections in 1…. Coming soon
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)