Apple's C1 Modem Put Through New Speed Test Ahead of iPhone 17 Air

[MacRumors]

Ookla, the network intelligence company known for its Speedtest tool, today published the results of its second iPhone 16e cellular speed test.

In short, Ookla found that the iPhone 16e with Apple's custom-designed C1 modem "performs similarly" to the standard iPhone 16 with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X71 modem in the "vast majority of markets" that it examined.

However, results sometimes varied considerably based on carrier and country.

Ookla said the median 5G download speed for the standard iPhone 16 on T-Mobile's network in the U.S. was 317 Mbps, compared to 252 Mbps on the iPhone 16e. However, on an unspecified Spanish network, it said the iPhone 16e achieved a median 5G download speed of 139 Mbps, topping the iPhone 16 at 110 Mbps.

All in all, Ookla said the iPhone 16e performs "comparatively" to the iPhone 16 for 5G connectivity, which reinforces its earlier March findings.

iPhone 16e users can rest assured that Apple's first 5G modem is no slouch, which is good news ahead of Apple's special event tomorrow, as the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air is also expected to be equipped with the C1 modem.

Head to Ookla's website for the in-depth results.

Article Link: Apple's C1 Modem Put Through New Speed Test Ahead of iPhone 17 Air

 

[Cristim74]

Considering this is a 1st gen product it's a good achievement.
Looking forward to the C2 and C3 performance ...

 

[Zerlina]

i hope next years 18's all have this modem for the entire lineup

 

[d5aqoëp]

There is a reason why Apple used old X71 modems in iPhone 16 series and not the then latest SD X80. That is because they didn't want their C1 to look poor in comparison with X80.

C1 is objectively poor in most instances.

...and also they can get away with using old stuff because most Apple users won't notice.

I won't be surprised if Apple continues to use SD X71 in this year's iPhones because Apple users deserve old tech.

 

[justanotherdave]

There is a reason why Apple used old X71 modems in iPhone 16 series and not the then latest SD X80. That is because they didn't want their C1 to look poor in comparison with X80.

C1 is objectively poor in most instances.

...and also they can get away with using old stuff because most Apple users won't notice.

I won't be surprised if Apple continues to use SD X71 in this year's iPhones because Apple users deserve old tech.

Source? Because this sounds like made-up drivel.

I only know one person who works at Apple. He’s a cellular engineer (and that’s all I can say because if I stated his specific area of expertise I’d dox him).

I’ve never yet been able to pry a single detail out of him about Apples modems or their plans.

 

[Hank001]

There is a reason why Apple used old X71 modems in iPhone 16 series and not the then latest SD X80. That is because they didn't want their C1 to look poor in comparison with X80.

C1 is objectively poor in most instances.

...and also they can get away with using old stuff because most Apple users won't notice.

I won't be surprised if Apple continues to use SD X71 in this year's iPhones because Apple users deserve old tech.

That's an excellent point. And awkward that the author didn't do any more research into the details and basically reposts Ookla's test results without doing any journalism by writing an article.

 

[arthurgd3]

Source? Because this sounds like made-up drivel.

I only know one person who works at Apple. He’s a cellular engineer (and that’s all I can say because if I stated his specific area of expertise I’d dox him).

I’ve never yet been able to pry a single detail out of him about Apples modems or their plans.

Is it made up drivel though if it's true that the X80 is noticeably faster than the X71? Those with a Galaxy S25 series phone can compare their speeds to a iPhone 16 series phone or a Galaxy S24 and see what the results are.

 

[CalMin]

Truth is that these benchmark type tests don't matter to most people as long as their phone "just works". With cellular there are just so many variables e.g., phone, location, provider, signal strength, network conditions (congestion etc.) that sometimes my phone is fast, sometimes it's slow and I live with that when not on wifi.

What I hear from this is that Apple's modem is 'decent enough' in most situations such that it won't be a factor in my purchasing decision. For me - I just want to get email, texts, post on Macrumors, look at some Instagram, and FaceTime with friends when out of the house.

While this doesn't hold true for many folks who need optimal connectivity or who just want the very best - I expect that most consumers will be just fine with an Apple modem.

Now if this means that Apple doesn't have to pay Qualcomm tax then we should get cheaper phones right? Right Apple? Right...???

 

[orev]

Does it ever matter if a 5G modem is slightly faster than another? Other than marketing or bragging rights, nobody will notice in real world usage.

No doubt this is part of generating some hype around the launch tomorrow.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

I wonder how many end users are drag racing cell modems and making their purchasing decisions based on that.

 

[arthurgd3]

Truth is that these benchmark type tests don't matter to most people as long as their phone "just works". With cellular there are just so many variables e.g., phone, location, provider, signal strength, network conditions (congestion etc.) that sometimes my phone is fast, sometimes it's slow and I live with that when not on wifi.

What I hear from this is that Apple's modem is 'decent enough' in most situations such that it won't be a factor in my purchasing decision. For me - I just want to get email, texts, post on Macrumors, look at some Instagram, and FaceTime with friends when out of the house.

While this doesn't hold true for many folks who need optimal connectivity or who just want the very best - I expect that most consumers will be just fine with an Apple modem.

Now if this means that Apple doesn't have to pay Qualcomm tax then we should get cheaper phones right? Right Apple? Right...???

When was the last time a company the size of Apple has passed down internal cost savings down to the consumer? Take your time, I'll wait.

 

[jntdroid]

Great, so they both perform well in strong signal areas. What's more important is how well it can perform in weak signal areas. I know that's hard to test, but that's the most important factor at the end of the day.

 

[SpotOnT]

C1 doesn’t have mmWave, which I actually use a lot on my iPhone 16 Pro.

 

[greenbreadmmm]

Source? Because this sounds like made-up drivel.

I only know one person who works at Apple. He’s a cellular engineer (and that’s all I can say because if I stated his specific area of expertise I’d dox him).

I’ve never yet been able to pry a single detail out of him about Apples modems or their plans.

What do you mean?

Apple purposefully asked for a custom model for the first time instead of using the x75.

It was pretty clear the rationale behind this...to make the C1 seem more comparable to current iPhone models.

 

[CalMin]

When was the last time a company the size of Apple has passed down internal cost savings down to the consumer? Take your time, I'll wait.

Not sure if you missed the sarcasm of my 'Right Apple right???' above but yes. I don't expect to see those savings in the retail price of the phone.

That said, Qualcomm's licensing terms demand a percentage of the retail price, vs a fixed fee per device. I do hope that overtime as they pay back the R&D on this tech, we will see a slowdown in the ramp up of phone prices. Kind of like we saw with the MacBook Airs with Apple silicon vs. Intel.

 

[Biro]

Cellular speeds have always been reliant largely on the specific network one is on, how congested that network is at any given time and specific location at any given time. Unless there is a consistent issue with signal loss - like Google Pixels experienced for several years - there isn’t that much in modem speeds for the average consumer. And, even then, the network also plays a big role in signal loss. The energy improvements promised by the C1 modem are a bigger story IMHO.

 

[con2apple]

Instead of testing its modem in the hinterlands of the US or Spain, Apple has hopefully tested it in developing countries.
Where, on a train journey in a city of millions, you might suddenly find yourself without internet because there is no network coverage. Or instead of the best 5G with five bars, you might have a maximum of one bar. Or no 5G at all.

No, I don't mean Kenya or Afghanistan. You have good network coverage there. I was talking about Germany.

And no, this is neither satire nor trolling. When it comes to current technology (internet, mobile communications), I don't know of any developing country larger than Germany.

 

[justanotherdave]

Is it made up drivel though if it's true that the X80 is noticeably faster than the X71? Those with a Galaxy S25 series phone can compare their speeds to a iPhone 16 series phone or a Galaxy S24 and see what the results are.

I guess. If you think that download speeds are the ONLY metric used to compare modems while ignoring the 100 other tests that cellular engineers perform.

People said 5G was supposed to be revolutionary. It barely made any difference to users over 4G/LTE. Mainly because your performance is dictated by the server sending you content and whatever load-balancing they do, not because of the speed of your modem.

It’s also why my 1Gbps Internet service didn’t make browsing or other activities any faster than my previous 250Mbps service. All it did was make very specific downloads (large files) faster. And even then it rarely ever hit full speed.

 

[lusty]

Considering this is a 1st gen product it's a good achievement.

It might be the first generation with an Apple badge, but it’s far from a first gen product.

 

[Rychiar]

Does it ever matter if a 5G modem is slightly faster than another? Other than marketing or bragging rights, nobody will notice in real world usage.

No doubt this is part of generating some hype around the launch tomorrow.

getting a stronger signal means far more. I just want to not have piss poor service at my house and gym lol

 

[mannyvel]

At some point modem speed is irrelevant.

Really, what's important these days (and completely invisible to everyone) is how your phone and the network perform in congested areas. Very few people have any idea how the various modems and networks behave and interact in this situation.

I suspect that in congestion the only thing that matters is how fast the modem can respond to the tower's commands, and I also would think that that particular aspect would be something that would be rigorously tested by the various certification authorities.

 

[hokuspokus]

I wonder how reception compares in low/bad signal areas. I'm not really concerned about differences in performance in good signal areas.

 

[JoeSilver]

Ookla said the median 5G download speed for the standard iPhone 16 on T-Mobile's network in the U.S. was 317 Mbps, compared to 252 Mbps on the iPhone 16e.

(317-252) ÷ 317 = 0.20504732

So it's 20% slower than the Qualcomm's, not really negligible.

 

[indros]

Ookla, the network intelligence company known for its Speedtest tool, today published the results of its second iPhone 16e cellular speed test.

In short, Ookla found that the iPhone 16e with Apple's custom-designed C1 modem "performs similarly" to the standard iPhone 16 with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X71 modem in the "vast majority of markets" that it examined.

However, results sometimes varied considerably based on carrier and country.

Ookla said the median 5G download speed for the standard iPhone 16 on T-Mobile's network in the U.S. was 317 Mbps, compared to 252 Mbps on the iPhone 16e. However, on an unspecified Spanish network, it said the iPhone 16e achieved a median 5G download speed of 139 Mbps, topping the iPhone 16 at 110 Mbps.

All in all, Ookla said the iPhone 16e performs "comparatively" to the iPhone 16 for 5G connectivity, which reinforces its earlier March findings.

iPhone 16e users can rest assured that Apple's first 5G modem is no slouch, which is good news ahead of Apple's special event tomorrow, as the ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air is also expected to be equipped with the C1 modem.

Head to Ookla's website for the in-depth results.

Article Link: Apple's C1 Modem Put Through New Speed Test Ahead of iPhone 17 Air

I searched the article for "battery" and found no detail about battery use. Given that a big benefit of the Intel > Apple chipsets in the Macbook line was battery life, I'd be interested in how the C1 stacks up on that metric, as much as data speeds.

 

[tomtad]

Does it ever matter if a 5G modem is slightly faster than another? Other than marketing or bragging rights, nobody will notice in real world usage.

No doubt this is part of generating some hype around the launch tomorrow.

It's supposed to use less power so there is that