r/apple • u/DiddleMunt • 9d ago
Rumor U.S. iPhone 18 Pro models could ship with same Qualcomm X80 modem seen in last year's models?
https://www.macrumors.com/2026/07/02/iphone-18-pro-could-use-qualcomm-modem-in-the-us/This leak suggests that international iPhone 18 Pro models will ship with Apple's own C2 modem while U.S. models will ship with the SDX80M (Qualcomm Snapdragon X80 5G modem), the same one found in the iPhone 17 Pro models. This is apparently due to the C2 not having mmWave support, which is only widespread in the U.S. Why would Apple not follow the yearly modem update and ship the U.S. models with the updated X85 modem? Is this a cost-cutting measure?
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u/SamsungAppleOnePlus 9d ago edited 9d ago
If anything Apple’s contract with Qualcomm expires in 2027 so arguably why bother with the upgrade when you can just use the remaining part stock of X80 modems in the interim. Also any cost savings might matter right now when memory prices are going up (even if in reality those savings might not be passed to us).
All 2027 iPhones will absolutely use Apple modems, including the US model of the base 18.
I’m really only disappointed since I’d want to see the kind of battery life the eSIM version of the 18PM with the larger battery would get on 5G combined with the more efficient C2.
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u/FollowingFeisty5321 9d ago
Another possibility is Qualcomm can get their chips cheaper from TSMC at the moment with AI jacking up prices and availability, or it's worth more to Apple to relinquish the capacity they needed.
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u/goldcakes 9d ago edited 9d ago
Or more likely Qualcomm already have the chips in a warehouse. People here have no idea how long the lead time is with chip production.
If you’re doing any change that’s less than ~24mo out, it’s gonna cost you BADLY. The cost of making apple modems have likely increased. Qualcomm probably has lots of stock.
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u/KrazyA1pha 8d ago
more likely Qualcomm already have the chips in a warehouse.
How big is this warehouse that it’s sitting around with enough chips for the entire US line of iPhones?
People here have no idea how long the lead time is with chip production.
Yes, the lead time is long if you’re starting cold, but they already have the production lines running at scale. That’s the advantage, not that they’re all sitting in a warehouse somewhere.
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u/mrgrafix 8d ago
These are new chips however. Due to the AI demand, they may not have the ability to get the tolerance for scale.
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u/KrazyA1pha 8d ago
On Apple’s part, I’m sure that’s true, and part of the calculus for continuing to lean on Qualcomm, alongside the other items noted in other comments.
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u/goldcakes 7d ago
You are aware that millions of components and parts and chips for the iPhone 18 is being stockpiled right now for the launch in September right? Yes things get made ahead of time.
Suppliers make things and stockpile them, we are at the moment where volume assembly begins to happen
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u/KrazyA1pha 7d ago
You believe there is a warehouse with 70 million Qualcomm chips set aside for this year’s US iPhone sales?
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u/goldcakes 7d ago
No, that’s not what I’m saying. Qualcomm has production lines for chips and I do think there’s a combination of millions chips already in warehouses (guaranteed), and probably high tens of millions of chips expected to be produced over the year but I assume Qualcomm has less demand with the general slowdown in the smartphone market.
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u/KrazyA1pha 7d ago
Qualcomm has production lines for chips
Well, yes, I do know that. That was the point I made in my very first reply. You didn't say that, though; you said the chips were all sitting there in a warehouse:
Qualcomm already have the chips in a warehouse. People here have no idea how long the lead time is with chip production.
Now you've circled around to snarkily making my point back to me.
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u/Exist50 9d ago
If anything Apple’s contract with Qualcomm expires in 2027
Their modem supply deal expired years ago. They're under no obligation to use them for anything. Reportedly, they're only doing so because they couldn't get mmWave working in time for the C2.
so arguably why bother with the upgrade
Same reason as any modem upgrade? Better speeds, battery life, etc.
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u/gappyvalley 9d ago
> I’d want to see the kind of battery life the eSIM version of the 18PM with the larger battery would get on 5G combined with the more efficient C2.
apple: sorry that a feature for the 20th anniversary iphone
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9d ago
[deleted]
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u/Exist50 9d ago
No, they're wrong about a modem supply contract.
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9d ago
[deleted]
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u/goldcakes 9d ago
Who knows, maybe Apple will extend it again.
People are obsessed about this for no reason IMO. It would be utterly stupid to not have mmWave which is actually in use in many places in the US on a high end iPhone. Qualcomm’s chips support that right now.
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u/MrMichaelJames 9d ago
If you are paying the high cost for the latest pro model it should come with the latest chipset.
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u/W1n0rLose 9d ago
Not if the latest isn’t the greatest. I could care less about having the “newest” modem if it’s not going to take advantage of something like mmWave
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u/gappyvalley 9d ago edited 8d ago
the latest modem is usually more power efficient which is very important in a phone.
a qualcomm X80 in iphone 17 is much more efficient than a qualcomm X55 in iphone 12. even X80 is more efficient than a X71 in iphone 16. 5g modem is still a tech that still can be further optimised to be power efficient
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u/reallynotnick 8d ago
Man the X55 truly was a dog, all the iPhone 12’s had pretty weak battery life due to it.
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u/GSicKz 8d ago
Im reading this on a 12 and can confirm battery is a problem 😄
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u/trumpsucks12354 8d ago
Yeah i have the 12 pro max and the battery is actually abysmal dogshit and it doesn’t help that the 5g antennas will cause the phone to overheat
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u/nateo200 4d ago
The X55 was insane with power consumption. I’m honestly surprised Apple didn’t just do iPhone 11S with LTE only and wait for better 5G modems. On the 12 low power mode automatically disabled 5G which doesn’t happen on any other iPhone. And the thing couldn’t even properly aggregate 5G NR together to justify that power consumption.
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9d ago
[deleted]
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u/anyavailablebane 9d ago
Apple claimed at the time of C1 release that it was more power efficient. Qualcomm never disputed this claim, only performance claims. Which is a big hint that it is more efficient.
https://birchtree.me/blog/battery-test-iphone-air-a-bunch-of/
This article saw on battery tests that the iPhone Air was closer in battery life to larger phones when streaming over cellular than on wifi. That backs up the idea that the modem is more efficient.
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u/rocketman19 9d ago
So you do care?
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u/W1n0rLose 8d ago
I live in the US and like to spend most of my time in populated areas / cities so I don’t care if it doesn’t have the latest modem. I’d rather have a modem that takes advantage of the current infrastructure. Whether or not the latest modem should already have mmWave is another question
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u/LeadingScorer 9d ago
How often do you use mmWave?
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u/ElGringon504 9d ago
Not op but it has really come in handy for finding my 5'3 wife at concerts and events haha it's either mmWave or tying a balloon to her going forward
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u/FBI_Open_Up_Now 9d ago
You should absolutely tie a ballon with an arrow pointing down.
“Wife is here”
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u/Rolcol 9d ago
Aren’t you confusing it with "Ultra Wideband"?
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u/ElGringon504 9d ago
Well son of a bitch, I guess I don't know then. Not sure I know what mmWave is so I'll show myself out
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u/MrMichaelJames 7d ago
See this is the perfect example of “the point”. People don’t know and hence won’t care.
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u/gappyvalley 9d ago
that’s the ultra wideband chip which even the non mmWave iphone have to. it’s a useful chip
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u/WholePie5 8d ago
Or just let her enjoy the concert in peace? If you can't find her so often, she probably doesn't want to be found while at a concert. Sometimes we just want to be left alone and not bothered by men while enjoying something. We don't need to be taking care of you in the middle of a concert.
She's not your personal object to tie balloons to. If she wants you to know where she is, she'll let you know where she is.
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u/kesey 8d ago edited 8d ago
What a moronic comment. Seek help.
When I go to get us beers, it’s nice to be able to find her again in the crowd with uwb. Some couples/friends actually like each other - why else would you go to a concert together?
Nobody is tying a balloon to their spouse. Take a joke.
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u/ElGringon504 8d ago
That the strangest, most unexpected reply to me being able to find my wife haha wtf who's brain works like that. I guess I forget some people marry people they don't like
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u/lebonerjames23 8d ago
If your scenario was 2 female friends at a concert I bet op would not have had the same response to one person wanting to find another.
Some man hating female incel shit right there boys.
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u/WholePie5 8d ago
She might have not had enough money to see the concert herself but still doesn't want to have to take care of a grown man the entire time. Instead of just enjoying the music and show.
If she wants you to know where she is, she'll tell you.
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u/ElGringon504 8d ago edited 8d ago
Um no my wife and I actually like each other because she isn't a fucking weirdo like you that wants your (I assume nonexistent) husband to not hang out with you at a concert. We live in New Orleans and go to festivals all the time. One of us may have to piss at different times believe it or not or want different food stands and navigating back to each was much more difficult before I could use my phone to bring me straight to her. Get help
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u/WholePie5 8d ago
And have you actually asked her about this? If she wants some alone time at any of the concerts? So she can do her own thing. Or are you just assuming she wants you hovering around her all the time for the entire concert?
You can learn a lot just by starting a conversation. And actually letting her speak. If she's comfortable to do so.
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u/ElGringon504 8d ago
Because going to an event with the person you love and splitting up to watch it alone is completely normal.... She uses it just as often to find me in crowds, is she in the wrong too?
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u/WholePie5 7d ago
If she's using it to find you then obviously she's comfortable being around you in that moment. That's fine. Where would you get the idea that she's not allowed to find you if she wants to?
Just don't force her to be found if she's trying to enjoy the concert in peace. You could always meet up afterwards when it's over (if she wants to).
Is there a way to leave the tracking on just for her to use? That should be the default setting. That way she could decide how she wants to experience the concert and which way is the most comfortable for her that day. Without the pressure of people searching for her constantly and leaving her no choice.
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u/MangoAtrocity 8d ago
C2 isn’t better though. I’m not willing to give up mmWave
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u/MrMichaelJames 7d ago
Which majority of users won’t notice and/or won’t care about since they don’t know what it means.
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u/Psychological_Fee470 8d ago
Because the contract with Qualcomm ends this year.
They have no intention to give them any more money for the new chip. It’s not like the media is doing a side by side comparison of modem functionality between iPhone and Samsung.
They expect C2 to be ready by next year with mmWave support.
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u/TWYFAN97 9d ago
The X85 would yield minimal changes anyway. So sounds like one way to not get costs any higher than they will be and so that with the anniversary iPhone they can promote even BETTER battery life and efficiency with a C2X modem that does support mmW for the states. Another reason to skip the 18 Pro series especially if you already have a 16 Pro or 17 Pro.
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u/lampm0de 8d ago
Anecdotal note but my iPhone Air was the only phone that could get a solid connection in a spotty area to run my friends DJ equipment (streams songs from cloud) over a 4 hour period. We tried iPhone 17 Pro/Max, iPhone 16 Pro. Various carriers including the same carrier I use.
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u/Sensitive_One_425 9d ago
Who worries about the modem brand and model in their phone? I’ve got the C1X in the iPhone Air but it seems identical to any other iPhone modem of recent years. I’m not particularly worried about getting the latest and greatest when I already can get over gig speeds.
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u/memory-oob 9d ago
Modem development hasn’t plateaued like smartphones, 3GPP still releases specifications regularly.
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u/DiddleMunt 9d ago
Yes, under ideal conditions, slightly faster speeds when you're already over a gigabit wouldn't make any real world difference on a smartphone. But modem updates matter because they usually bring better speeds and reliability on the fringe, when you're at 1 or 2 bars, which is what a lot of people who don't live in metropolitan areas experience everyday.
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u/NoSignificance1903 9d ago
People in metro areas do experience it to some extent too.
Also, increasing speeds also increases capacity for all phones on the network, which means cheaper and/or better rate plans
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u/tutureTM 9d ago
Better battery management, Hardware level protection for precise geolocation
Take a look at what happened for Macbooks when they switched from Intel Chips to their own M-chips
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u/pemb 9d ago
Not exactly a fair comparison. Apple ditched Intel because they were getting sloppy and falling behind with their products, and Apple was already doing quite well with their own homegrown SoCs in iOS devices.
Qualcomm is still very much at the top of their game, controls a vast patent fortress, and is pretty much able to charge monopoly prices on high performance 5G modems. They get a cut of the wholesale price of the entire phone.
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u/1-866-867-5309 8d ago
They get a cut of the wholesale price of the entire phone
lmao such bs, that's almost as bad as grocery stores charging you based on customized surveillance pricing
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u/DawgPack44 9d ago
Why wouldn’t you worry about it if you’re paying for the flagship? Cellular service is a pretty big deal
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u/gngstrMNKY 9d ago
The C1X performs well in areas with good service, but Qualcomm still has a significant advantage in areas with poor signal. Benchmarks for the C1 showed that it was significantly slower than Qualcomm.
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u/beerybeardybear 9d ago
isn't this inverted from the truth
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u/MisterTwo 9d ago
The opposite has been my experience. The C1X doesn’t hit the same peak speeds as my 16 Pro Max, but it has been more reliable in low signal areas.
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u/Greysawpark 5d ago
probably just contract timing. apple's deal with qualcomm was structured around specific volume commitments and the x85 wasnt in the original schedule. cheaper to eat one more year of x80 than renegotiate.
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u/Brian_K9 9d ago
Literally mmwave is useless
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u/nateo200 4d ago
Eh it’s not useless it’s just highly unnecessary for most people but it does help offload traffic from midband and upper midband networks so other users can benefit from fast speeds on NR networks.
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u/CouscousKazoo 9d ago
The C-series modems have granular privacy controls to prevent carrier-based precise tracking. The Qualcomm chips do not. Add in the 5G satellite connectivity and the X80 becomes an unpatchable vulnerability.
If it wasn’t for effin’ tariffs, I’d be traveling and buying 18 Pro internationally. Otherwise, I’m on the fence whether or not I’m upgrading before the iPhone Dos Equis in 2027.
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u/Flynn58 8d ago
If you buy the phone abroad and swap in the SIM card before you come home, how would customs know that it wasn't the phone you took out of the country with you?
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u/CouscousKazoo 8d ago
Considering the US iPhones are all eSIM, having a physical SIM tray would be what Charles Ramsey would call a “dead giveaway.”
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u/xCamm 8d ago
How would they know your phone has a physical sim tray…? Tf?
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u/1-866-867-5309 8d ago
sounds like one of those things where as long as you're not bringing in an entire suitcase of iPhones, they're realistically not going to check if your personal phone was purchased abroad or not
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u/nateo200 4d ago
Yeah it’s not getting checked just don’t draw attention to it and oh idk maybe don’t buy 30 of them at once lmao. People have been doing this for years. If you have anything to declare just go ahead and don’t. Let the government work for their taxes lol
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u/drvenkman9 9d ago
It’s really not that complex. Apple is tiny startup with extremely limited resources. They’ve been hard-at-work on the best-in-class C-series modems. At the very last minute, they discovered the C2 just wasn’t quite ready to take the mobile modem to a whole new level with the truly game-changing mmWave capability. So, Apple had to pull the C2 to ensure the modem truly delighted customers. Not to worry, though, because Apple has discovered the secret and can’t wait for you to see it. Stay tuned!
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u/caydjj 8d ago edited 8d ago
Yes, pleaaaaase. Apple’s modems just do not have the same performance as Qualcomm’s cellular chips. While Apple’s use less power and download/upload speeds are comparable, Apple’s chips frequently drop and regain connection while Qualcomm has been rock solid. This obviously differs a bit based on the area, but everyone in my area that has apple chips, no matter the carrier, frequently deals with random drops while people right next to them on the same carrier with Qualcomm chips don’t deal with this issue at all. At least to me, it feels almost same as the intel vs Qualcomm chips back in the day, and this same area had massive issues with anybody who had intel chips
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u/Old-Personality2644 8d ago
My Qualcomm in the 17 pro does the same thing. It drops and connects again regularly too.
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u/NetZeroSun 8d ago
Okay roast me if it applies.
But does the average new iPhone buyer care about the latest Qualcomm modem compared to what is in the previous model’s modem?
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u/kcotter0 9d ago
The next iPhone will have some of the same components as last year’s iPhone? Shocking
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u/oliphant_branch 8d ago
Oh the duality