Apple iPhone 18 Pro to get this exclusive upgrade that the iPhone 17 Pro may miss out on, reports say

Apple is gradually transitioning to its in-house C-series modems, with the iPhone 18 Pro models likely to be the first to feature them.

Apple is slowly transitioning away from Qualcomm modems, and the first step was seen when the brand introduced the Apple C1, its first-ever announced modem, which powers the iPhone 16e, the latest iPhone that was released last month in February.

iPhone 18 Pro could get the C2 exclusively. (Florence Lo/Reuters)

Shaurya Sharma

Based on what analyst Jeff Pu has said, it looks like the Apple C1 will be used again in the iPhone 17 Air, which is expected to hit the shelves later this year in September, alongside the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup, including the iPhone 17 Pro models.

However, mainline models, such as the Pro series, are expected to fully transition to Apple’s own in-house modem with the iPhone 18 series. The iPhone 18 Pro models could be the first to sport the Apple C2 modem, which will be the next-generation successor to the C1.

Here’s what we know about Apple C2

In a new research note, spotted by 9to5Mac, Jeff Pu states that the Apple C2 modem, Apple’s second-generation in-house modem, will be used in the iPhone 18 Pro models. It is slated for release in 2026, when the iPhone 18 lineup is expected to debut.

He says the C2 modem will, of course, be faster and more capable. Notably, it will feature a major missing feature from the Apple C1: support for mmwave 5G. Alongside this, the C2 modem may deliver even better efficiency.

What about the C1?

Apple C1 debuted in the iPhone 16e and notably lacks mmwave 5G support. However, Apple claims it is the most power-efficient modem ever in an iPhone. It is built on 4nm baseband technology and features a 7nm transceiver.

Of course, as we mentioned, it is missing certain key features, and it may be a while before Apple brings the C-series modems to its mainline iPhones, including the Pro models. We feel, the company could be testing the waters with the C1 before fully committing to its flagship models. After all, Apple would want the best hardware possible for each generation.

Reports suggest that the iPhone 17 series will still use Qualcomm modems, except for the iPhone 17 Air.

Having said that, it will certainly be interesting to see whether Apple ships the C2 modem exclusively with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max next year or if the entire iPhone 18 series will receive the upgrade.