The modem is not the issue. The antenna design is the issue. Last year the Xr and Xs versions all had the same intel modem, but the Xr had better reception due to better antenna design. I doubt there is any improvement this year.
The modem is not the issue. The antenna design is the issue. Last year the Xr and Xs versions all had the same intel modem, but the Xr had better reception due to better antenna design. I doubt there is any improvement this year.
It's a combination. Even the Xr wasn't that great, and had issues reconnecting to LTE. The X was never as good as the 8, Qualcomm or Intel, but for each model, the Qualcomm model was much better than the Intel model.
Apple added UWB antennas to the iPhone 11, so it's unlikely the left the old cellular antenna design untouched. All the antennas for BT, Wi-Fi, UWB, cellular, have to work together.