Yesterday marked a significant achievement for Apple as it introduced an iPhone equipped with its proprietary modem, the C1 chip, instead of using Qualcomm components.
For many years, this has been a primary goal for the company for a couple of reasons, making this moment a noteworthy milestone.
The dual advantages of the C1 chip
As mentioned previously, switching from a Qualcomm modem to the C1 chip is a significant advantage for Apple.
The first benefit is related to Qualcomm’s pricing structure, which Apple has long viewed as inequitable. When acquiring modem chips from Qualcomm, Apple was subjected to paying twice: once for the chip and again as a royalty for the technology’s usage. Apple referred to this occurrence as “double dipping.”
This situation is analogous to Apple selling an iPhone and then requiring a separate software license for iOS. Or offering an iPhone backup feature and then charging extra for sufficient iCloud storage—well, maybe not that one.
The second benefit involves the power efficiency of Apple’s new chip.
With the advancements brought by Apple silicon, C1 stands as the first modem designed by Apple, featuring unmatched power efficiency for iPhones and ensuring fast, reliable 5G cellular connectivity. The integration of Apple silicon—including C1—the brand-new internal architecture, and the sophisticated power management of iOS 18 collectively contribute to exceptional battery life.
The more hardware Apple designs, the better it can optimize the overall efficiency of their components working in unison.
However, no mmWave 5G
Pre-launch speculation suggested that Apple’s first-generation modem chip would sacrifice some features, and we now realize what those compromises are.
The C1 chip comes with Wi-Fi 6 support but lacks mmWave 5G compatibility. While mmWave offers ultra-high speeds, it also has a limited range, requiring close proximity to a base station for connectivity.
The initial expectation was that mmWave 5G would roll out in densely populated areas: airports, transit hubs, entertainment spots, malls, and more. Yet the reality is that its availability is quite sparse. Carriers have seemingly decided that the cost of establishing sufficient base stations outweighs the benefits of this feature.
With the significant limitations in carrier support, and Apple’s willingness to launch a modem chip without this capability, does this indicate the demise of 5G mmWave?
Possibly in a C2 chip
Perhaps.
Apple likely intentionally reduced the challenges in the rollout of its first modem chip but may integrate additional features in future versions. Bloomberg suggests that mmWave 5G could be included in a second-generation chip—although this is expected to debut with the iPhone 18, not the iPhone 17.
While this may be accurate, it also reflects Apple’s perspective that mmWave is more of a supplemental feature than a crucial specification.
From my understanding, the hype around mmWave 5G is overblown. It enabled carriers and manufacturers to claim gigabit speeds while avoiding the costly infrastructure investments necessary for widespread availability, even in bustling urban areas.
What has your experience been? How often do you encounter a mmWave 5G connection? Is occasional gigabit speed in limited areas important to you? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Photo: Apple
