Apple has debuted a new C1X modem with iPhone Air. Here are all the things that have changed compared to the C1.
The C1X Modem from Apple Takes a Leap Forward with Twice the Performance Compared to C1 and Offer Faster Performance Compared to iPhone 16 Pro
The C1 modem made its appearance for the first time with the iPhone 16e. The modem promised efficiency which in turn would help with battery life. But, it had some shortcomings, such as lack of mmWave 5G.
With iPhone Air, Apple is taking another leap forward and building on the great foundations of the C1.
First and foremost, Apple says that this modem is two times faster than the C1. That’s obviously a great start. And, the company says that it is even faster than the modem found in the iPhone 16 Pro.
Do keep in mind that Apple used a modem from Qualcomm in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. If it’s faster than that already, needless to say Apple is making good progress.
Apple even says that C1X uses 30% less energy compared to the iPhone 16 Pro modem in order to deliver similar performance.
When you dive into the technical specifications page for iPhone Air, you find a little bit more information regarding the C1X. This includes support for sub-6GHz 5G with 4×4 MIMO, as well as Gigabit LTE with 4×4 MIMO support.
The thing that remains missing this year is mmWave 5G. That is something you’ll find in the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro, but you don’t get the C1X in those phones.
Apple is going for efficiency above all else when it comes to its in-house modem, and that’s exactly what a user needs too. You really want your iPhone to keep you online in the worst possible cellular scenario rather than give you gigabit downloads all the time, which you will never utilize.
Given the pace at which Apple is making progress with its in-house modem, we should see mmWave support within a year or so. Not only that, the iPhone 18 lineup may even switch to Apple’s own modem.
