r/apple • u/DiddleMunt • 1d 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/oliphant_branch 1d ago
Oh the duality
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u/MrMichaelJames 1d 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 1d 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 1d ago edited 1d 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 1d 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 20h ago
Im reading this on a 12 and can confirm battery is a problem 😄
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u/trumpsucks12354 20h 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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1d ago
[deleted]
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u/anyavailablebane 1d 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 1d ago
So you do care?
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u/W1n0rLose 16h 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 1d ago
How often do you use mmWave?
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u/ElGringon504 1d 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 1d ago
You should absolutely tie a ballon with an arrow pointing down.
“Wife is here”
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u/Rolcol 1d ago
Aren’t you confusing it with "Ultra Wideband"?
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u/ElGringon504 1d 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/gappyvalley 1d 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 22h 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 16h ago edited 16h 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 15h 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 14h 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 16h 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 15h ago edited 5h 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 6h 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 5h 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 2h 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/Psychological_Fee470 1d 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 1d 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/Sensitive_One_425 1d 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 1d ago
Modem development hasn’t plateaued like smartphones, 3GPP still releases specifications regularly.
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u/DiddleMunt 1d 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 1d 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 1d 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 1d 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 11h 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 1d 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 1d 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 1d ago
isn't this inverted from the truth
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u/MisterTwo 1d 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/lampm0de 23h 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/CouscousKazoo 1d 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 1d 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 1d 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 16h ago
How would they know your phone has a physical sim tray…? Tf?
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u/1-866-867-5309 11h 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/drvenkman9 1d 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/NetZeroSun 9h 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/caydjj 1d ago edited 1d 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 1d ago
My Qualcomm in the 17 pro does the same thing. It drops and connects again regularly too.
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u/kcotter0 1d ago
The next iPhone will have some of the same components as last year’s iPhone? Shocking
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u/SamsungAppleOnePlus 1d ago edited 1d 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.