Apple debuted its custom-designed C1 modem in the iPhone 16e last month, as part of a multi-year plan to transition away from Qualcomm

Daring Fireball ‘s John Gruber today says the answer is “no,” as he spoke with an Apple representative who confirmed that the new iPad Air and entry-level iPad models are not equipped with the C1 modem. Plus, MacRumors has viewed FCC documents that show that cellular models of both new iPads are equipped with a Qualcomm modem.

As reported, Apple's manufacturing deal with Qualcomm for 5G modems is set to last until 2027, so there's still a lot of time left for Apple to continue to use Qualcomm's modems i

During the Mobile World Congress 2025, Qualcomm unveiled its new X85 5G modem with an integrated 5G AI processor and called out Apple's C1.

Macworld Almost hidden within the announcement of the iPhone 16e, Apple dropped something of a bombshell: It is producing its own 5G modems now. This has of course been rumored for a long time, and has frankly taken longer than expected;

Phone 17 5G modems will be made by MediaTek, as Apple moves away from Qualcomm. Future iPhones will use Apple's solutions instead.

In many ways, the Apple C1—its first cellular modem—is the company’s most important product in years. Just as the company broke free from reliance on Intel with its own Mac processors, it is now breaking free from reliance on Qualcomm for cellular connectivity. Ditching Broadcom for its own Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is said to happen this year, too.

Not doing things by halves, Geekerwan first used a synthetic cell tower broadcasting inside their labs to test the iPhone 16e against the regular iPhone 16’s Qualcomm modem, and have reassuring news for those looking to pick up the cheaper handset in the future.

Qualcomm believes its latest X85 5G modem will set a "huge delta" between the performance of high-end Android devices and Apple