Report: Apple's C1 Is Just the Beginning of Modem Changes

Apple plans to move away from Qualcomm modems in the Apple Watch while bolstering its new in-house alternatives, according to The Information's Wayne Ma.

Apple 5G Modem Feature
Later this year, Apple plans to eliminate the Qualcomm modem used in the Apple Watch Ultra. Rather than using the C1 modem or another custom Apple chip, Apple plans to switch from using Qualcomm units to MediaTek ones. MediaTek is one of the few companies capable of designing 5G modems.

In 2026, Apple will debut a new custom modem with support for mmWave 5G. The C1 does not have this capability. The modem with mmWave support will be used in iPhones and "at least one iPad." This project has the codename "Ganymede."

The C1 currently falls short of Qualcomm's performance, and the report suggests its direct 2026 successor will be the same. It will not be until a third generation in 2027 that Apple will "finally be able to exceed the performance of Qualcomm's modems." This project is codenamed "Prometheus."

While this information appears to have been sourced independently, it corroborates previous rumors. In December, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple's second-generation 5G modem will add mmWave support and debut in the iPhone 18 lineup in 2026 and come to the iPad Pro by 2027.

He said the second modem will achieve theoretical download speeds of up to 6 Gbps, compared to up to 4 Gbps for Apple's first modem. He also alluded to Apple's wish for its third-generation modem to surpass Qualcomm's modems in terms of performance and AI features in 2027.

Another Bloomberg report mentioned Apple's plan to transition to MediaTek modems in the Apple Watch. MediaTek's modem adds support for 5G RedCap, a 5G service that's designed for connected devices and wearables that don't need standard 5G speeds. The current cellular Apple Watch models still use 4G LTE.

The Information's full article details Apple's tumultuous relationship with Qualcomm and how it developed the all-new C1 chip.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch Ultra 3
Related Forum: Apple Watch

Popular Stories

iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design Draws Criticism From Users

Wednesday September 17, 2025 2:56 pm PDT by
It's been two days since iOS 26 was released, and Apple's new Liquid Glass design is even more divisive than expected. Any major design change can create controversy as people get used to the new look, but the MacRumors forums, Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and social media sites seem to feature more criticism than praise as people discuss the update. Complaints There are a long...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

Apple's Rumored MacBook Pro Redesign: 6 New Features Anticipated

Wednesday September 17, 2025 4:26 am PDT by
Apple in October 2024 overhauled its 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models, adding M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chips, Thunderbolt 5 ports on higher-end models, display changes, and more. That's quite a lot of updates in one go, but if you think this means a further major refresh for the ‌MacBook Pro‌ is now several years away, think again. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has said he expects only a small ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4: Here Are 5 New Features to Expect on Your iPhone

Tuesday September 16, 2025 11:17 am PDT by
iOS 26 was finally released on Monday, but the software train never stops, and the first developer beta of iOS 26.1 will likely be released soon. iOS 18.1 was an anomaly, as the first developer beta of that version was released in late July last year, to allow for early testing of Apple Intelligence features. The first betas of iOS 15.1, iOS 16.1, and iOS 17.1 were all released in the second ...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Reportedly Plans to Launch These 10 Products in 'Coming Months'

Sunday September 14, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple's annual September event is now in the rearview mirror, with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods Pro 3 set to launch this Friday, September 19. As always, there is more to come. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple plans to release many products in the...

Top Rated Comments

sniffies Avatar
8 months ago
Imagine if Apple's C1 was the end of modem changes
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
formularossa Avatar
8 months ago
Hopefully this opens up the possibility of a cellular MacBook Pro!
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dejesus Avatar
8 months ago
Next move. Put C1 on macbooks
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cirillo Gherardo Avatar
8 months ago

Better be. It's half-baked and doesn't support mmWave.
That doesn't make it half baked. No one cares about mmWave. Cellular data hasn't changed meaningfully since we started using 3G. It is still slow, latent, spotty, and expensive. It is still something you use as little as possible, in between hops from one Wi-Fi network to the next. Nothing about 4G or 5G has changed the way that the majority of users treat cellular data.

As such, Apple is on the right track here to completely reboot the concept with more efficient technology so that we can get some kind of short term gain, while they continue to improve speed over time.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
QuarterSwede Avatar
8 months ago

That doesn't make it half baked. No one cares about mmWave. Cellular data hasn't changed meaningfully since we started using 3G. It is still slow, latent, spotty, and expensive. It is still something you use as little as possible, in between hops from one Wi-Fi network to the next. Nothing about 4G or 5G has changed the way that the majority of users treat cellular data.

As such, Apple is on the right track here to completely reboot the concept with more efficient technology so that we can get some kind of short term gain, while they continue to improve speed over time.
I agree with the sentiment that mmWave is useless for the vast majority of users and majority of the time.

However, the speed difference between 3G and LTE was absolutely noticeable. Between 5G, not so much, but 5G feels like fiber due to much lower latency and more bandwidth per tower vs LTE (fast but takes longer to connect).
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Cirillo Gherardo Avatar
8 months ago

I agree with the sentiment that mmWave is useless for the vast majority of users and majority of the time.

However, the speed difference between 3G and LTE was absolutely noticeable. Between 5G, not so much, but 5G feels like fiber due to much lower latency and more bandwidth per tower vs LTE (fast but takes longer to connect).
Don't quote me theoretical speeds of cellular. That is what carriers do. That is not what real world use is like. Speeds and coverage and latency vary WILDLY. As such, the way people use cellular has not changed.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)