Apple Prepares 5G C2 Modem For IPhone 18 Pro, Leave Qualcomm?

JAKARTA - Apple continues to expand its own modem 5G development and is expected to bring the latest version of this modem to the iPhone 18 Pro next year.

According to a report by analyst Jeff Pu from GF Securities, Cupertino inino company is developing a C2 modem chip to be used on the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max by 2026.

This year, Apple has introduced its first 5G modem, C1, on the iPhone 16e. This modem combines a 4 nanometer baseband technology with a 7 nanometer transceiver, which is claimed to be more power efficient than the 5G Qualcomm modem still used in other iPhone models.

Pu also mentioned that Apple plans to bring a C1 modem to the iPhone 17 Air, but the company may delay the plan.

Apple's Strategy

It remains unclear whether the regular iPhone 18 model will use C1, while C2 is exclusive to Pro models, or whether Apple will still rely on Qualcomm modems for cheaper variants for another year.

Given that modem is one of the most crucial components in smartphones, Apple is expected to ensure that the technology is mature enough before it completely leaves Qualcomm.

Laboratory trials show that modem C1 has a performance equivalent to Qualcomm in most scenarios, but still less support for higher 5G mmWave speeds.

Several reports also state that prior to expanding the use of this modem to all iPhone lines, Apple may be testing it further on other products such as the iPad and mobile version of Apple Watch.

With these developments, Apple is getting closer to its ultimate goal of reducing its dependence on Qualcomm and fully using self-made 5G modems in the future.