CEO Tim Cook mentions strengths of the 'C1' chip that Apple has not mentioned before
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Tim Cook said the thing about C1 that Apple wouldn't say before - 9to5Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2025/05/02/tim-cook-said-the-thing-about-c1-that-apple-wouldnt-before/
Reports that Apple is developing its own 5G modem chips for iPhones have been coming out since the company acquired Intel's modem chip business in 2019 .
The C1 was the culmination of years of work, but unlike other innovations, Apple has not over-promoted the benefits of the C1. 9to5Mac points out that the reason Apple has not over-promoted the C1 is because 'Qualcomm's competing modems are still in the most popular and expensive iPhones (iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max).'
It has also been reported that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, scheduled for release in the second half of 2025, will continue to use Qualcomm's 5G modem chips.
'The C1 is inferior to Qualcomm's 5G modem chips in that it does not support millimeter waves. Therefore, 9to5Mac points out that 'when the C1 was released, Apple was not able to promote it as superior to Qualcomm's 5G modem chips.'
When Apple announced the iPhone 16e, it simply described the C1 as ' the most power-efficient modem in the history of an iPhone .'
However, when asked about the C1 and future modem chip efforts during Apple's second quarter 2025 earnings call, Cook said, 'We're very excited to ship and get our first product out there, and it's going well. We're pleased that our focus on the things that our customers want, like battery life, has led to a better product.'
Cook not only mentioned that the C1 is better than competing products in terms of battery life, but also said that they are focusing on 'what customers want.' Furthermore, as he said, 'We've created a better product,' he suggested that the C1 is a better 5G modem than Qualcomm's 5G modem chip.
In fact, research has shown that the C1 performs better than Qualcomm's 5G modem chips.
Apple's first 5G modem chip 'C1' outperforms Qualcomm's 5G modem in multiple benchmarks - GIGAZINE
The new iPhone 17 Air, expected to be released in 2025, is reportedly going to be equipped with the C1, one of the reasons for this is that the C1 is more power efficient than Qualcomm's 5G modem chips.
However, Apple's 5G modem chip supply contract with Qualcomm runs until 2026, so once that contract ends and all iPhones are equipped with Apple-made modem chips, the company will be 'free to promote' its own modem chips, 9to5Mac points out.
Apple extends contract with Qualcomm to 2026 due to delays in development of its own 5G modem chips, what's going on? - GIGAZINE
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