iPhone 18 Pro Models Again Rumored to Feature Apple's C2 Modem

Apple debuted its custom-designed C1 modem in the iPhone 16e last month, as part of a multi-year plan to transition away from Qualcomm modems. And per the latest rumor, the C1 modem will continue to roll out later this year.

apple c1
In a research note with investment firm GF Securities today, analyst Jeff Pu said the ultra-thin "iPhone 17 Air" will be equipped with the C1 modem. Fellow analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was first to reveal that this was Apple's plan last year.

Pu believes Apple's second-generation C2 modem will debut in the iPhone 18 Pro models next year, which is also something that has already been rumored previously. Look for the C2 modem to be faster overall, and for it to gain mmWave support in the United States. Further power efficiency improvements are likely too.

iPhone 17 Pro models are expected to have Qualcomm modems still.

Apple's modem supply agreement with Qualcomm runs through March 2027, so the company still has time to transition to its own custom-designed modems. Apple develops chips several years before they ship, so it should come as no surprise that the company is reportedly already working on its next-generation C2 and C3 modems.

Apple said the C1 modem is already the most power-efficient iPhone modem ever, and it held up fine in both real-world and simulated 5G speed test results.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

iphone air thickness

Apple Said to Cut iPhone Air Production Amid Underwhelming Sales

Friday October 17, 2025 8:29 am PDT by
Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid underwhelming sales performance, Japan's Mizuho Securities believes (via The Elec). The Japanese investment banking and securities firm claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are seeing higher sales than their predecessors during the same period last year, while the standard iPhone 17 is a major success, performing...
iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
iPhone Siri Glow

Some Apple Employees Have 'Concerns' About iOS 26.4's Revamped Siri

Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings. iOS 26.4 will...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

New iPad Pro Has Six Key Upgrades Beyond M5 Chip

Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more. With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New 14-Inch MacBook Pro Has Two Key Upgrades Beyond the M5 Chip

Thursday October 16, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with an M5 chip, and there are two key storage-related upgrades beyond that chip bump. First, Apple says the new 14-inch MacBook Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD performance than the equivalent previous-generation model, so read and write speeds should get a significant boost. Apple says it is using "the latest storage technology," ...
m4 macbook air blue

M5 MacBook Air Coming Spring 2026 With M5 Mac Studio and Mac Mini in Development

Thursday October 16, 2025 3:57 pm PDT by
Apple plans to launch MacBook Air models equipped with the new M5 chip in spring 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is also working on M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models that will come early in the year. Neither the MacBook Pro models nor the MacBook Air models are expected to get design changes, with Apple focusing on simple chip upgrades. In the case of the MacBook Pro, a m...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

M5 Chip Achieves Impressive Feat in 14-Inch MacBook Pro Speed Test

Friday October 17, 2025 7:10 am PDT by
The first alleged benchmark result for the M5 chip in the new 14-inch MacBook Pro has surfaced, allowing for some performance comparisons. Based on a single unconfirmed result uploaded to the Geekbench 6 database today, the M5 chip has pulled off an impressive feat. Specifically, the chip achieved a score of 4,263 for single-core CPU performance, which is the highest single-core score that...

Top Rated Comments

257Loner Avatar
8 months ago
And after the C2 modem debuts in the latest iPhones, the C3 modem will follow after that. Remember, you heard it first from me!
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dustin.haley Avatar
8 months ago

Let’s hope it’s better than the C1:



My 16e was delivered this morning via UPS - T-Mobile gave me $500 in trade-in value for my 2 & 1/2 year old Google Pixel 7 (that I only paid $350 for) so I was able to get the 16e in white for only 100 bucks ($4 x 24 months @ 0%)

I’m going to use it as my primary phone so that I can put this new C1 chip to the test and I’m going to give my 2nd iPhone (1TB 15 Pro Max) to my Dad so that he can take spatial videos

He wants to start taking spatial videos because he said that he wants to buy a 2nd generation Vision Pro (once it comes out) we got to try the new Vision Pro in Miami and it was pretty cool so my dad said he wants to get one if Apple lowers the price to $1,999 (or less)
The guy spends 5 minutes saying the 16e has a bigger battery than the 16. There have been actual tests showing the C1 is more efficient… this video also doesn’t discuss the data/speed performance at all.

Overall, useless video…
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
8 months ago
C2 will go into some iPhone 18 models, not sure it’ll be the Pros. For going into the Pros, it’ll have to be equal or better than the next one from QCOM and I’m not sure about that, yet.
My guess, QCOM for 18Pros and C2 for the others
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NetMage Avatar
8 months ago

C2 will go into some iPhone 18 models, not sure it’ll be the Pros. For going into the Pros, it’ll have to be equal or better than the next one from QCOM and I’m not sure about that, yet.
My guess, QCOM for 18Pros and C2 for the others
Better isn't just about performance. If the C2 can match the current Qualcomm modem with less power usage, why wouldn't Apple use it in the 18 Pros?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DocMultimedia Avatar
8 months ago
Bring on the 2029 rumors. 2028 is so yesterday.

But I'll buy one.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
F23 Avatar
8 months ago
has anyone done extensive testing on the C1 compared to the current iPhone modems to see performance differences?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)