In 2020, Apple announced the Mac transition to Apple Silicon. Replacing Intel was a large undertaking, but it proved successful. Apple was able to develop chips that were both faster and more efficient than the Intel processors they replaced, all in an under 3 year transition.
Now, Apple is trying to replace Qualcomm, starting off with the new C1 modem in the brand new iPhone 16e, it’s the first step in a much larger journey. In the end, Apple wants all networking to be handled in-house.
Future C2 and C3 modems
Apple’s first C1 modem, which debuted in iPhone 16e last month, is more focused on efficiency. It doesn’t support 5G mmWave, and doesn’t support all of the same wavelengths as the existing Qualcomm modems. It’s still pretty performant according to tests, but it isn’t the best of the best.
That’s why this C1 modem isn’t making its way to most of the iPhone 17 lineup, though it will likely appear in the iPhone 17 Air – where its efficiency gains will be important for such a thin form factor. Apple referred to C1 as “the most power-efficient modem ever on an iPhone, delivering fast and reliable 5G cellular connectivity.”
Unsurprisingly, Apple is already working on future generation 5G modems. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple intends to fully replace Qualcomm within two generations.
The C2 modem, codenamed Ganymede, will debut in the iPhone 18 lineup in 2026 – as well as future iPad models in 2027. According to Gurman, these modems will be on-par with Qualcomm:
The big difference is that Ganymede will catch up to current Qualcomm modems by adding support for mmWave, download speeds of 6 gigabits per second, six-carrier aggregation when using Sub-6, and eight-carrier aggregation when using mmWave.
Afterwards, Apple will debut C3 in 2027, codenamed Prometheus, alongside the iPhone 19 lineup. This modem will completely surpass Qualcomm:
In 2027, Apple aims to roll out its third modem, code-named Prometheus. The company hopes to top Qualcomm with that component’s performance and artificial intelligence features by that point. It will also build in support for next-generation satellite networks.
Amid all of these plans, Apple is also considering bringing cellular support to MacBooks, as soon as 2026. This would of course be thanks to its new in-house modems.
New Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip
On top of replacing Qualcomm’s cellular modems, Apple also wants to replace Broadcom’s networking chips. Despite being a relatively new rumor, this new networking chip will debut as soon as this year.
This networking chip, codenamed Proxima, is expected to debut in refreshed versions of the HomePod mini and Apple TV later this year, per Gurman. The chip will support the Wi-Fi 6E standard, and has a theoretical capability of serving as a Wi-Fi router. Gurman also said it’ll debut in some iPhone models this year, and some iPad and Mac models in 2026.
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has taken this a step further, and stated that the Apple networking chip will actually debut in the entire iPhone 17 lineup later this year, rather than just the iPhone 17 Air. Kuo states that this will “enhance connectivity across Apple devices,” as well as reduce cost.
Modem integration with main chipset
After Apple is done with its modem transition, it’s also considering integrating its cellular modems inside of the main Apple Silicon chipset. Rather than an A18 chip and a separate C1 chip, it’d all be one package.
According to Gurman, this feat won’t happen until 2028 at the earliest. Nonetheless, its on the table, and apparently provides a number of cost and efficiency benefits.
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