Rumor mill: Apple C1 in more devices, iPhone e-model annually
The iPhone 16e is no longer an entry-level phone. Is Apple therefore speeding up the release cycle? And when will the next device with C1 be released?
iPhone 16e in its two colors
(Image: Apple)
It's finally here: Apple's first own 5G modem chip is said to have been in development at the iPhone manufacturer for seven or even more years. The question now is when the radio module, which also contains a transceiver developed in-house, will end up in other devices. Speculation that Apple could also supply the new iPad Air M3 and/or iPad 11 tablets with it after the initial application in the iPhone 16e has already proved to be wrong. But what's next for the C1? And will e-models of the iPhone perhaps be released every year in the future? A look into the rumor mill.
Where the C1 will end up next
Apple has already confirmed that its 5G modem, dubbed a “monumental technical achievement” by some observers because the technology is highly complex, will be built into other devices. When announcing the 16e, it said that the Apple C1 was the “beginning of a long-term strategy that allows Apple to innovate and optimize modem systems for other Apple products”. The test balloon that the 16e represents could soon become other products.
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After neither the iPad 11 nor the iPad Air M3, an iPad Pro M5 with C1 would be conceivable should Apple follow up on its professional tablets this year. Long-time Apple market observers such as analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also believe that Apple modems could end up in future Macs (an old user dream) or a new Vision Pro. Apple's big advantage is that the company can adapt its modem to the rest of the hardware, which leads to improvements in battery life. In the 16e, for example, the C1 should be particularly active when the system is requesting important data, but it should also be able to go to sleep more quickly. Other iPhones with C1 this year could be the models in the 17 series – in particular the ultraslim “iPhone 17 Air”, which many rumor mongers are expecting. Next year, all iPhone 18 models could then work with Apple's modem. Apple also wants to integrate support for mmWave radio, which does not yet play a role in Europe.
iPhone e-series every year?
Another current rumor related to the C1 and its successors concerns the e-series launched with the 16e. Until now, Apple had only updated its SE models – genuine entry-level devices – every few years.
With the more expensive 16e, which costs 700 euros in Europe, a new annual cycle could begin in which an “e” model is always released in spring. There is speculation to this effect from the Asian supply chain, where it is said that Apple could come around the corner with an “iPhone 17e” as early as February 2026. Google acts similarly and delivers its “a” models after the top devices.
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