Apple has announced the iPhone 16e and, although there are compromises to bring down the price, this phone has one advanced component the rest of the range does not.
The iPhone 16e is the first iPhone ever to include a cellular modem built in-house. The C1 modem, which has been years in the making, replaces the Qualcomm-built component featured in other iPhone models.
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The C1, Apple says, is “the most power-efficient modem ever on an iPhone, delivering fast and reliable 5G connectivity.”
Naturally, a key component of the testing stage will focus on the performance of this modem in delivering data speeds in comparison with the Qualcomm model. However, having that unified platform is very likely to have given Apple some efficiency gains users may see through extended battery life.
The new C1 is joined by the same A18 processor that powers the standard iPhone 16, which of course means access to the Apple Intelligence features Apple is in the process of rolling out.
It’s all part of the company’s efforts to control its own destiny and be as self sufficient as possible when it comes to the internal design of its gadgets.
Apple has been working on a 5G modem for close to six years, since purchasing the majority of Intel’s mobile modem business in the summer of 2019. That cost Apple $1 billion and saw more than 2,200 Intel employees jump ship to Cupertino.
However, the road to realisation has been strewn with reported obstacles and delays and iPhones with an Apple-made modem have been expected before now. The iPhone 16e will likely be the test ground for a launch within an iPhone 17 model expected later this year.
A bigger deal for Apple, than iPhone fans
Will users notice the different modem in the iPhone 16e? Only if it goes wrong. For everyday users, if they’re seeing the 5G speeds they’re used to, accessible where they’re used to, delivered in a power-efficient manner, they won’t care who makes the modem.
For Apple, though, this is a big moment and the culmination of years of graft. The company has worked hard to be less reliant on other firms’ product release schedules, and taking one of those components in house goes a long way towards Apple completely controlling its own destiny.
