When Will Apple Release An In-House 5G Modem With mmWave Support
Based on information from a prominent industry analyst, Apple kept mmWave (millimeter wave) 5G support out of its in-house designed C1 modem for a good reason: power efficiency. The C1, by the way, debuted in the iPhone 16e that Apple released last week. Nonetheless, once the kinks are worked out, consumers could see a new iteration (be it C1 version 2.0 or C2) as soon as the next generation iPhone or iPad arrives.
Apple's C1 modem process technology:
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 6, 2025
- 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…
In an X post, tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo shared information on why Apple chose to forgo mmWave 5G in the C1 and what the future holds for upcoming products. With the launch of the iPhone 16e, many chided Apple for not including the fastest 5G protocol. Others believed that it was keeping in line with previous iPhone SEs which never had mmWave support. Kuo, however, states that power draw was the main reason for the omission.
When Apple decided to drop Qualcomm as its modem supplier and design its own 5G hardware, one of the primary performance targets was power efficiency, something Cupertino has proven to do very well with its A-series processors. As development of the C1 progressed, though, it was found that the modem's specs had to be compromised to meet those targets, ultimately leading to mmWave and Wi-Fi 7 being nixed. Kuo says in his post, "While supporting mmWave isn’t particularly challenging, achieving stable performance with low power consumption remains a key hurdle."
Kuo also hints at some kind of updated version in the pipeline.
"The C1 refreshed version is under development for mass production next year, aiming to improve power consumption and transmission speed and support for mmWave," Kuo says.
It's too soon to say which Apple product(s) will have the revised modem. Some sources have independently claimed that Apple's next modem WILL indeed have mmWave support and be used in iPhones and at least one iPad model.
For data nerds, Kuo graciously shared in the post key details on the Apple C1:
- Baseband: 4/5nm (both technologies are similar)
- Low-frequency/Sub-6 TRx (Transceivers): 7nm
- Intermediate Frequency (IF) TRx: 7nm
- PMIC: 55nm
As it is, the C1's low energy consumption is one of main reasons behind the iPhone 16e long battery life, especially considering its smaller 6.1-inch size. The other big contributor has been the larger battery—444 mAh larger than the iPhone 16 to be exact.
