Apple's first custom-designed modem chip, the C1, is set to bring significant advantages to the upcoming iPhone 17 Air, as revealed by its recent debut in the iPhone 16e.
The C1 is the most power-efficient modem ever featured in an iPhone, and promises very good battery life even within the frame of the iPhone 17 Air's ultra-thin design. According to Apple's tech specs, the iPhone 16e offers up to 26 hours of battery life for video playback, compared to up to 22 hours for the standard iPhone 16. This efficiency comes from Apple's complete control over the modem's design and integration with its custom silicon.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the iPhone 17 Air will utilize the same C1 modem, so we are expecting it to benefit from the modem's impressive efficiency and offer impressive battery life, even within the ultra-thin device's smaller frame. With its larger 6.6-inch or 6.7-inch display, the iPhone 17 Air may even feature a larger battery inside.
The C1 does come with one notable limitation: it lacks support for mmWave 5G technology. This means iPhone 17 Air users won't have access to the ultra-fast speeds that mmWave can provide in specific locations like stadiums, airports, and dense urban areas. Instead, the device will rely solely on sub-6GHz 5G networks, which, while more widespread, don't offer the same peak speeds as mmWave.
The rest of the iPhone 17 lineup, including the standard iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, will continue to use Qualcomm modems with full mmWave support.
Apple is already developing a second-generation modem with mmWave capabilities, but this chip isn't expected until the iPhone 18 lineup in 2026.
The iPhone 17 lineup, including the iPhone 17 Air, is expected to launch during Apple's traditional mid-September timeframe.
