02.21.2025
Apple plans to move away from Qualcomm modems in the Apple Watch while bolstering its new in-house alternatives, according to The Information's Wayne Ma. Later this year, Apple plans to
Later this year, Apple plans to eliminate the Qualcomm modem used in the Apple Watch Ultra. Rather than using the C1 modem or another custom Apple chip, Apple plans to switch from using Qualcomm units to MediaTek ones. MediaTek is one of the few companies capable of designing 5G modems.
In 2026, Apple will debut a new custom modem with support for mmWave 5G. The C1 does not have this capability. The modem with mmWave support will be used in iPhones and "at least one iPad." This project has the codename "Ganymede."
The C1 currently falls short of Qualcomm's performance, and the report suggests its direct 2026 successor will be the same. It will not be until a third generation in 2027 that Apple will "finally be able to exceed the performance of Qualcomm's modems." This project is codenamed "Prometheus."
While this information appears to have been sourced independently, it corroborates previous rumors. In December, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that Apple's second-generation 5G modem will add mmWave support and debut in the iPhone 18 lineup in 2026 and come to the iPad Pro by 2027.
He said the second modem will achieve theoretical download speeds of up to 6 Gbps, compared to up to 4 Gbps for Apple's first modem. He also alluded to Apple's wish for its third-generation modem to surpass Qualcomm's modems in terms of performance and AI features in 2027.
Another Bloomberg report mentioned Apple's plan to transition to MediaTek modems in the Apple Watch. MediaTek's modem adds support for 5G RedCap, a 5G service that's designed for connected devices and wearables that don't need standard 5G speeds. The current cellular Apple Watch models still use 4G LTE.
The Information's full article details Apple's tumultuous relationship with Qualcomm and how it developed the all-new C1 chip.
Related Roundup: Apple Watch Ultra 2
Tags: Qualcomm, The Information
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch Ultra (Neutral)
Related Forum: Apple Watch
This article, "Report: Apple's C1 Is Just the Beginning of Modem Changes" first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
You may also be interested in this
Arm, Qualcomm lawyers gri…
12.18.2024
NUVIA Inc co-founders John Bruno, Gerard Williams III and Manu Gulati pose at the company’s Santa Clara, California headquarters, U.S., in this undated handout photo released on November 15, 2019.
Apple’s indomitable iPhon…
05.05.2023
Wall Street analysts are impressed with the resilience of Apple’s iPhone sales in a tough and worsening economy. iPhone 14 Pro Max Emily Bary for MarketWatch: Turns out thousand-dollar smartphones
Qualcomm to Take on Apple…
10.11.2023
Qualcomm today outlined its plans for its next-generation chips designed for PCs. The Snapdragon X series is set to come out in 2024, and Qualcomm claims that it will mark
Apple’s homegrown modem p…
09.21.2023
Insanely great, Apple’s multi-year project to build its own modem is not; other than at incinerating untold billions of dollars, that is. Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie for The Wall
Apple Rivals Unite to Pro…
12.13.2023
Google, Meta, Qualcomm, Nothing, Lenovo, Opera and several other tech companies have announced a collaborative effort to push for "open digital ecosystems" in what appears to be a pointed move
WSJ: Apple’s 5G Mod…
09.21.2023
In the last few years, Apple has spent billions of dollars attempting to develop its own modem chip to replace the Qualcomm modem chips that it uses in iPhones, but
Wired wag: ‘Apple’s Visio…
06.08.2023
A Wired wag will “bet everything that Apple’s Vision Pro will flop,” calling it ” a rare misfire” and an “unavoidable failure.” Apple Vision Pro: Apple’s first spatial computer Kate
iPhone 13 Pro vs. 15 Pro:…
06.27.2023
While year-over-year iPhone upgrades are not always significant, new features begin to stack up over multiple generations. For this reason, the iPhone 15 Pro will be a notable upgrade for
