The C1 powering the iPhone 16e is just the stepping stone in Apple’s quest to develop high-performance and power-efficient custom 5G modems. However, the fact that the baseband chip made its debut in a less expensive device meant that the company had to watch what it said because it did not want sales of its more premium handsets to suffer, as they continued to ship with Qualcomm modems. Now, when asked about these in-house solutions, Chief Executive Tim Cook admitted that the technology giant can produce better products in this area, and we should likely bear witness to these claims when the newer lineup arrives in the future.
The iPhone 17 family will continue to ship with Qualcomm’s 5G modems, hinting that Apple will still be careful on how it markets the C1
Despite not supporting mmWave networks, the C1 can outmatch the Snapdragon X71 present in Apple’s iPhone 16 models, while also flaunting low power consumption, giving the iPhone 16e one of the best battery life metrics for any of Apple’s 6.1-inch iPhones. During the official announcement, the only noteworthy statement made about the C1 was that it delivers impressive power efficiency, but these words do not translate into better performance.
Thankfully, 9to5Mac reports that, during Apple’s Q2 2025 earnings call, CEO Tim Cook made the following remarks about the C1, while also admitting that its chips are better than the competition, or in other words, Qualcomm’s.
“We’re super excited to ship the first one and get it out there, and it’s gone well. We love that we can produce better products from a point of view of really focusing on battery life and other things that customers want. And so, we have started on a journey, is the way I would put it.”
It is important to note that because the iPhone 17 lineup arriving later this year will not feature Apple’s C1 5G modem or any other custom solution for that matter, except for an in-house Wi-Fi chip, the Cupertino firm will probably keep its marketing team from going overboard when talking about the iPhone 16e’s wireless capabilities. Fortunately, the company will not have to keep mum about its products for long, as shortly after the C1’s announcement, it was revealed that Apple had already started work on the C2, which should support mmWave networks and will likely be found in the iPhone 18 series.
