iPhone 17 Pro Max Teardown Reveals Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 Modem for 5G

[adamrc]

why apple not use x85???? instead use previous old already x80.....circus

Per this article, it's not been released yet: Qualcomm Claims New X85 Modem Creates 'Huge Delta' in Performance Versus Apple

"Apple's current agreement with Qualcomm extends through 2026, giving Apple ample time to perfect its modem technology while it has access to Qualcomm's modems for its premium iPhone models. The Qualcomm X85 5G modem is likely to debut on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 chip, which is expected to arrive in October 2025."

 

[xpxp2002]

Why not X85???

Likely due to iPhone development lead time. It's typical that the iPhone misses the latest Qualcomm modems because of their release and availability dates. In addition to design and engineering deadlines that likely preclude getting a newer modem in in time for launch, keep in mind that supplying modems for millions of iPhones requires some ramp-up time for manufacturing, as well.

 

[Zaydax333]

IIRC the 15 series had the x70 and the 16 series had the x71 (while the x75 was the latest) so this is a 2 generation leap forward in one year technically.

 

[SactoGuy18]

I think Apple's C2 radio modem chip coming in September 2026 will likely match the performance of whatever Qualcomm radio model chip unveiled in early 2026 but at much lower power usage.

 

[Premium1]

Thorough testing like that would lead to super long reviews. That being said I live for long-form media so I would eat this up.

Wouldn't have to lead to super long reviews. Cut out the BS that they use to fluff it up and cover things that actually impact people's use cases.

 

[Premium1]

Why not X85???

Because apple never uses the latest modem. Crazy that apple has all that pull but continues to use an older modem.

 

[Nozuka]

Honestly whatever is the most efficient is what i want in my phone. And of course good reception.
The things i do on my phone don’t really need much bandwith.

 

[huanbrother]

This AI feature may be blocked in authoritarian countries like China.

 

[SKeijmel]

Apple does this on purpose so they can claim their own modem is a lot faster next pro phone release

 

[SactoGuy18]

In short, all 2026 iPhone models will use the (likely) C2 radio modem chip, including mmWave support in the USA.