During the Mobile World Congress 2025, Qualcomm unveiled its new X85 5G modem with an integrated 5G AI processor and called out Apple's C1.

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.

Qualcomm believes its latest X85 5G modem will set a "huge delta" between the performance of high-end Android devices and Apple

Not doing things by halves, Geekerwan first used a synthetic cell tower broadcasting inside their labs to test the iPhone 16e against the regular iPhone 16’s Qualcomm modem, and have reassuring news for those looking to pick up the cheaper handset in the future.

Cristiano Amon, the CEO of Qualcomm, said that the company’s most recent modem will significantly outperform Apple, which has just begun experimenting with the technology. TakeAway Points: Qualcomm’s newest high-end modem,

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.

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.

In many ways, the Apple C1—its first cellular modem—is the company’s most important product in years. Just as the company broke free from reliance on Intel with its own Mac processors, it is now breaking free from reliance on Qualcomm for cellular connectivity. Ditching Broadcom for its own Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is said to happen this year, too.