Apple will just have to use Qualcomm if the C2 isn’t ready.
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iPhone 17e and iPhone 18 Pro Modem Specs Leak Online
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Apple 🍎 may differentiate the Modems. Maybe C2 for the Pro’s and and C1X for the rest of the iPhone lineup.
Apple 🍎 still has a contract with Qualcomm up until late 2027, so I can still see them using Qualcomm modems until then.
Guarantee??? Is there such a thing for rumors? Ever?
I’m surprised their even having a 17e so soon. Usually it’s 3 year updates with the SE Lineup
I've been having wifi issues on my Air. The range seems worse than my previous 13Pro, and it sometimes doesn't work even when in-range and the Wifi icon appears on the screen. I hope it can be resolved in a software update, because I love the phone otherwise.
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I can see Apple maybe doing this as mmWave is not really big thing in Europe or other countries.
I had previously reset network connections a couple times, but not since updating to 26.2, I'll try doing it again now. Also I misspoke in my original post (now edited). My previous phone was a 13 Pro, not 17 Pro.
Turn off your phone for 3 minutes and then turn it back on. Should get it working right for you.
There’s no way, less than 12 months before the product is supposed to be released, Apple is “deciding” anything. They’re locking down how to produce reliably at scale as, by the middle of next year, they’ll be in the production/packaging and warehousing phase in order to ensure they have enough product available for release. What the next iPhone will be is well known by the people in Apple who need to know.
The leakers want you to believe that, if they’re not right, it’s because Apple decided to go with a different modem two months before the release date or something like that. If they’re not right, it’s because Apple’s good at locking down the supply chain and feeding incorrect information.
The leakers want you to believe that, if they’re not right, it’s because Apple decided to go with a different modem two months before the release date or something like that. If they’re not right, it’s because Apple’s good at locking down the supply chain and feeding incorrect information.
For US users, mmWave remains the real differentiator worth evaluating. Sub-6 performance looks solid overall, and Apple does seem to have improved signal recovery behavior — elevator handoffs and short-loss scenarios feel noticeably more responsive than in earlier generations. Even though C1 struggled early on, Apple was able to stabilize those issues within roughly 3–4 months.
That said, the bigger question is where meaningful gains can still come from. At this point, the limiting factor doesn’t appear to be RF physics as much as iteration velocity. Modem and antenna performance improve fastest with tight, visible year-over-year hardware refinement, and from the outside, those antenna architecture changes haven’t been very apparent.
This is where in-house modem development carries both risk and opportunity. Antenna performance isn’t a single-team problem — it sits at the intersection of RF engineering, industrial design, manufacturing tolerances, and firmware. When integration cycles slow or ownership becomes diffused, incremental gains tend to get diluted rather than compounded. Conversely, when cross-team communication is effective, iteration can move faster than coordination across company boundaries.
From a product perspective, internal alignment matters more than external attribution battles. Regardless of IP or vendor history, time and attention spent elsewhere carries an opportunity cost. Sustained 5G improvements require clear internal accountability and faster iteration loops, not just solid baseline performance.
That said, the bigger question is where meaningful gains can still come from. At this point, the limiting factor doesn’t appear to be RF physics as much as iteration velocity. Modem and antenna performance improve fastest with tight, visible year-over-year hardware refinement, and from the outside, those antenna architecture changes haven’t been very apparent.
This is where in-house modem development carries both risk and opportunity. Antenna performance isn’t a single-team problem — it sits at the intersection of RF engineering, industrial design, manufacturing tolerances, and firmware. When integration cycles slow or ownership becomes diffused, incremental gains tend to get diluted rather than compounded. Conversely, when cross-team communication is effective, iteration can move faster than coordination across company boundaries.
From a product perspective, internal alignment matters more than external attribution battles. Regardless of IP or vendor history, time and attention spent elsewhere carries an opportunity cost. Sustained 5G improvements require clear internal accountability and faster iteration loops, not just solid baseline performance.
Now that I've seen modem specs (my favorite kind of specs), I'm holding out for that iPhone 18 pro.
I have to say I’ve really noticed how the C1X in my air has improved hotspotting. It’s so quick to connect and never drops out.
It’s widely used in the US by Verizon, and then AT&T and T-Mobile use it at airports, stadiums, and arenas.
Speaking as a US user, cellular service in areas where Qualcomm modems would drop dead in spots all over my coverage area across the country outweighs having mmWave service in the few small footprint areas where I’m also very likely to have fast WiFi internet or fast enough non-mmWave service.
I am pretty sure it should say "Kernel Debug Kit". They typically contain more information in the binaries so that when you debug, it is possible to make sense of what is going on. I don't know exactly what they have found, but lots of code is shared in both macOS and iOS, which could provide hints. Many configuration files like plist. But there are also connectivity frameworks and other code that could interact with devices and probably by adding 2+2 you get a good idea about what is in the devices. As they say it was a version that was not supposed to be released to developers, it likely contained some future data not supposed to come out yet.
Yes indeed.
My primary is an iPhone 16 Pro Max which meets the requirements for work, the photography that entails etc.
However I wanted a smaller lighter easily pocketed phone for weekends so I bought the 16e. What an eye opener.
Forgetting the specs and focusing on the experience reveals this to be a wonderful surprise. A fun iPhone that performs exceptionally well. Connectivity is excellent, nothing about this model disappoints.
As such I only wish it was smaller, mini sized would be even better. An iPhone 17e mini!
Same here. I wanted to get iphone 17, but they are always sold out in US. Need to order weeks before picking it up. So I just got mint condition 13 mini and replaced new battery. Fantastic device coming from Xs/11 Pro. Only hard to find some good leather cases.
Same here but not optimistic. Maybe Apple surveyed the shareholders and got a thumbs-down? Wildly speculating here, I admit.
Yes, hoping too. I am one of the 50…0…0…0…0… minimalistas 😊. Seems odd that the iPad comes in small, medium, and large but the iPhone not anymore.