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 2
Related Forum: Apple Watch

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Top Rated Comments

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