Tech Desk 
Feb 24, 2025
Apple is reportedly gearing up to integrate its in-house 5G cellular modem into the main chipset. The company is already testing a successor to the C1 modem, aiming to reduce reliance on third parties.
After months of speculations, Apple finally released its first cellular modem with the iPhone 16e smartphone. However, currently, the modem occupies a separate slot in the device’s motherboard, which is not enough for energy efficiency.
Apple to launch its modem with main processor
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the Cupertino-based tech giant is currently testing the C2 and C3 modems, which are likely to be released as the successor to the C1 5G cellular modem.
The report further suggested that the C2 modem is expected to launch in 2026 and be featured across Apple’s 2026 iPhone series.
Gurman said that Apple’s upcoming in-house modem is less powerful than Qualcomm’s counterpart, which is integrated into the iPhone 16 models. Previously, the company claimed that the C1 modem is the “most power-efficient modem ever” on an iPhone.
Apple is likely to surpass Qualcomm with its C3 modem, which is expected to launch in 2027. However, reports suggested that the company is not planning to launch the modem into the main chipset till 2028.
It is important to note, as per the company’s technical features for the recently launched iPhone 16e, that the C1 modem lacks support for mmWave, which is considered to be an extremely high frequency (EHF) band.
