Apple Reportedly Developing Refreshed C1 Modem With mmWave Support for iPhone

The current C1 modem features a 4nm or 5nm baseband and 7nm low-frequency transceivers.

Written by Shaurya Tomer, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 7 March 2025 10:28 IST

Apple Reportedly Developing Refreshed C1 Modem With mmWave Support for iPhone

Photo Credit: Apple

Apple's new iPhone 16e features the proprietary C1 cellular modem

Highlights

The current C1 modem lacks mmWave support which limits 5G speeds
The refreshed modem may use 28nm components for mmWave functionality
It is said to enable faster 5G speeds where available

A refreshed version of Apple's C1 modem is said to be in development which adds a key functionality missing from the current model, as per the claims by an industry analyst. Introduced with the iPhone 16e last month, the C1 is the Cupertino-based technology giant's first-ever proprietary cellular modem which potentially reduces the company's dependency on Qualcomm. However, it is not without its caveats. A glance at the iPhone 16e's specifications reveals that the phone lacks mmWave support due to this modem, but that may soon change.

mmWave Support on Apple's C1 Modem

According to TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, C1 modem's architecture on the iPhone 16e comprises a 4nm or 5nm baseband, 7nm low-frequency transceivers, 7nm transreceivers for immediate frequency, and a 55nm Power Management Integrated Circuit (PMIC). It only supports up to sub-6GHz 5G.

Apple's C1 modem process technology:
- Baseband: 4/5nm (both technologies are similar)
- Low-frequency/Sub-6 TRx (Transceivers): 7nm
- Intermediate Frequency (IF) TRx: 7nm
- PMIC: 55nm

The C1 refreshed version is under development for mass production next year, aiming to improve…
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 6, 2025

Although the company claims C1 to be the “most power-efficient modem ever”, the lack of mmWave, which is the extremely high frequency (EHF) band, potentially results in slower download and upload speeds. To address this, Apple is said to be developing its successor. Kuo claims the refreshed version of the C1 modem is unlikely to adopt a 3nm baseband due to it not being the most power-hungry component in a modem.

To enable mmWave support, Apple is expected to add transreceivers and front-end components based on a 28nm node. The analyst emphasises that while adding mmWave support to this modem isn't particularly a challenging process, balancing between a stable performance and low power consumption remains a hurdle.

While Kuo did not reveal which iPhone the new modem could be featured in, Apple was previously reported to also include the C1 modem in the purported iPhone 17 Air. If this phone gets the refreshed variant, users may be able to take advantage of the fastest possible download and upload 5G speeds courtesy of mmWave support, depending on the availability in the region.

Apple iPhone 16e

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A18

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB

OS iOS 18

Resolution 1170x2532 pixels

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Further reading: Apple, C1 modem, Ming Chi Kuo, IPhone

Shaurya Tomer

Email Shaurya Tomer

Shaurya Tomer is a Sub Editor at Gadgets 360 with 2 years of experience across a diverse spectrum of topics. With a particular focus on smartphones, gadgets and the ever-evolving landscape of artificial intelligence... more »