Macworld The most important thing about the new iPhone 16e is the Apple-designed cellular modem inside, the C1. The C1 is the first visible sign of Apple’s decade-long goal to no longer be reliant on Qualcomm for one of the most important parts of any smartphone,

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, speaking to CNBC in an interview, claimed that the X85 modem would create a 'huge delta' between its performance and Apple's C1 chip.

It has taken some time for Apple to release its first modem and it did so with the launch of the iPhone 16e last month. The cellular modem is called the C1.

Qualcomm is reportedly developing its next-generation high-end processor for Windows PCs, the Snapdragon X2. The new chip is expected to feature a significant increase in core count, boasting up to 18 Oryon V3 cores.

The new iPhone 16e is equipped with Apple's custom-designed C1 modem for 5G and LTE connectivity, whereas all other current iPhone models rely

Interestingly, the C1 modem delivers better power efficiency over Qualcomm's offering, with the C1 modem drawing between 17% and 24% less power, according to tests from tech site Geekerwan. With this in mind, the iPad Air M3 and iPad 11 cellular models could have benefitted with Apple's custom-built modem.

A reputable analyst claims that Apple will include mmWave 5G support in the next iteration of its C1 modem. More details here