Apple’s mmWave C1 modem won’t launch until 2026

Apple’s C1 modem — image credit: Apple

A new report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that it will be 2026 before an updated version of the Apple C1 modem with mmWave will enter mass production.

For all its power efficiency, the C1 5G modem does lack mmWave support. It’s far from a surprise, though, that Apple is working on future versions of the modem, but now Ming-Chi Kuo claims that an mmWave C1 will not be ready for the iPhone 17 range.

In the full text of the tweet, Kuo says that the “refreshed C1” chip is likely to be built using a 28nm process. This is instead of the 3nm one that was expected to be used for the iPhone, and may be in future Apple Intelligence servers.

“Unlike processors/GPUs, baseband chips don’t aggressively adopt the latest advanced node because the return on investment isn’t high,” writes Kuo. “As a result, it’s unlikely that Apple’s baseband will shift to a 3nm process next year.”

Previously, Ming-Chi Kuo has either sourced information from the supply chain, or been clear that he is speculating based only his previous knowledge of Apple’s plans. More recently, and including this report, he has presented claims without backing or clarification.

Nonetheless, his claims are at least likely, but that is because it is inevitable that Apple will eventually release further iterations of its C-series modems. Even the claim that an Apple-made 5G mmWave modem won’t be ready for the iPhone 17 range is not new.

Kuo himself has previously said that Apple will continue to use Qualcomm modems across the iPhone 17 lineup, with the exception of the expected slimmer iPhone.

The analyst implies that Apple is working on an updated C1 modem rather than a C2. Other sources have claimed that a C2 is already in development, but again that’s a prediction on a par with night following day.