The Apple iPhone 16e’s debut in February 2025 marked a pivotal moment for Apple’s trajectory. It introduced the C1—its first in-house manufactured modem—and signaled a shift toward deeper technological self-sufficiency. Despite leveraging TSMC’s advanced technology process, the C1 module still lacks some key connectivity features.
“Apple’s 2025 will also have another seismic change, and that’s the first 5G modem designed by Apple. This should cut them loose from Qualcomm’s communications hardware and offer more precise control over its own hardware.” — Forbes.
Over the past few years, Apple has gradually shifted toward producing core technologies in-house, marking a long-standing trend. It started with the A4 chip in 2010, then its own GPU in 2017, power management unit in 2018, and the M1 Mac processor in 2020. Qualcomm, with its dominant position in cellular connectivity, supplied Apple with modems and RF receiver-transceivers for years. Although they agreed on a multi-year supply deal in 2019, Apple still aimed for its own modem. Later that year, Apple acquired Intel’s modem business. By early 2025, Apple’s first in-house modem, the C1, debuted in the budget-friendly iPhone 16e. By introducing it in a lower-tier product first, Apple allowed for both transition and the opportunity to assess user feedback. However, their technology still needs development since the solution lacks features like mmWave support and Wi-Fi 7.
Apple C1 module technology
In a recent Yole Group Technology & Cost report, they explored the technological developments and cost structure of the RF modem found in the iPhone 16E. Their detailed examination of the C1 technology confirms that Apple, through its close partnership with TSMC, rapidly accelerated the creation of its first proprietary modem. Through IR microscopy, delayering, and cross-sectional analysis, they confirmed TSMC’s use of 4nm FinFET technology and were even able to deduce the specific manufacturing process. They identified seven groups of modem blocks serving various supported protocols, six core neural processing units (NPUs), five interfaces, and two NVN memory blocks based on FinFET technology. Overall, the IC is composed of SAM (both high-performance and high-density cells) and FinFETs, implemented in what appear to be “logic” and “analog” areas.
Apple, Qualcomm, and Samsung modems
In recent years, Yole Group has tracked the evolution of RF modems and examined major solutions at the chipset, technology, manufacturing process, and cost levels. In the recent Technology & Cost Comparison – Modems, they analyzed and compared solutions provided by Qualcomm and Samsung. In terms of connectivity protocols, both Qualcomm’s SDX71M (from the iPhone 16 Pro Max) and Samsung’s S5400 (featured in the Google Pixel 9 Pro) outperform the C1 solution in short-range connectivity (Wi-Fi 7) and 5G (mmWave). From a manufacturing standpoint, these devices also employ FinFET transistors with numerous metal layers, although the node used is less advanced. Notably, while the C1 and S5400 exhibit comparable die sizes, SDX71M’s die is around 40% smaller, indicating greater efficiency in both the packaging and architecture of the IC dies.
It is important to mention that Qualcomm, anticipating Apple’s move, acted quickly. In March 2025, at the Mobile World Congress, it unveiled the X85 modem, highlighting notable improvements over Apple’s C1 in both connectivity and overall functionality.