Apple abandons Qualcomm chip in new iPhone 16eApple abandons Qualcomm chip in new iPhone 16e

Of the new features baked into the iPhone 16e, the standout is a hardware upgrade in the form of Apple's first 5G modem, the Apple C1 cellular modem.

The launch of the modem makes Apple less reliant on Qualcomm's chips, noted Reuters. Apple's in-house modem has been a long time coming, with reports the company was working toward building its own cellular modems dating back to 2019.

At the time, Apple announced plans to open an office in San Diego and hire up to 1,000 employees. This was noteworthy considering San Diego is Qualcomm's headquarters and home to part of Intel's Mobile and Communications Group, which meant Apple was likely interested in luring Qualcomm and Intel engineers for its modem design.

In 2019, Apple was also in the midst of a legal battle with Qualcomm, arguing that Qualcomm charges too much for licenses to its wireless patents, which was partly the reason for Apple's switch to Intel as its iPhone wireless modem supplier. But, Apple ultimately settled with Qualcomm, forgoing Intel, and said it would use Qualcomm chips in its iPhones.

A closer look at Apple's in-house modem

Beginning with its launch in the iPhone 16e, Apple told Reuters that it plans to use the C1 chips across its product line in the coming years. Apple also said the C1 system is responsible for the best battery life of any of the company's 6.1 inch smartphones.

Yet, it's a challenge to test whether the new modem is as energy efficient as Apple claims. "We will never *really* know if the modems draw less power as Apple has the entire stack as one can't actually test this without some very specific design knowledge and some sophisticated test equipment," said Patrick Moorhead, CEO of Moor Insights & Strategy, in a LinkedIn post.

"No surprise Apple would pop a modem out at some point, more surprised it took over 5 years with "billions invested" after acquiring Intel's 5G modem business," Moorhead added.

The C1 system also only supports Wi-Fi 6 (login required), whereas the iPhone 16 is Wi-Fi 7 enabled. The system includes a 4-nanometer chip and 7-nanonmeter transceiver, and the chips were tested with 180 carriers in 55 countries, according to Reuters. The modem also has a custom GPS system and satellite connectivity for when terrestrial wireless networks are unavailable. It's worth noting the chips can't connect to 5G mmWave, a capability that Qualcomm chips have.

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