Apple could also be having one other M1 second – the brand new Apple silicon, the C1 modem on this case, is thrashing the silicon it got here to switch, Qualcomm’s 5G modem, at the least in some metrics. Ookla, the corporate behind the favored Speedtest service, revealed a report that compares 5G speeds between the iPhone 16 (Snapdragon X71 modem) and the brand new iPhone 16e (Apple C1).
In abstract, the Qualcomm modem gives greater high speeds, however the C1 did higher in circumstances the place community speeds have been sluggish. Ookla’s take a look at covers the highest 3 carriers within the US, AT&T, T-Cellular and Verizon, however right here is the general chart first.
Amongst customers experiencing poor community speeds, the tenth percentile of all checks, the 16e edged out the 16 with 27.35Mbps vs. 16.66Mbps. It even has a small benefit within the median take a look at. It’s solely within the ninetieth percentile – those getting excessive pace connections – when the Qualcomm-based telephone comes out on high.
Here’s a per-carrier breakdown, which reveals that in circumstances of poor community connectivity, the iPhone 16e outperforms the iPhone 16 throughout the board.
Nonetheless, when the community speeds are good, the iPhone 16 turns the tables on the 16e:
Apple is reportedly engaged on a variant of the C1 with mmWave connectivity, however missing the sooner 5G taste didn’t damage the iPhone 16e a lot. mmWave protection is spotty even within the US and in some international locations it’s nonexistent. As a substitute, Ookla’s outcomes have recognized an even bigger difficulty for the C1 modem.
T-Cellular customers bought the best downlink speeds whether or not they had the iPhone 16 or 16e. Nonetheless, amongst T-Cellular subscribers, these with the 16e bought noticeably decrease speeds than these with an iPhone 16. Ookla attributes this to T-Cellular’s nationwide rollout of 5G StandAlone (SA) and higher deployment of service aggregation (CA).
There are not any official stats for the X71, however Qualcomm’s mid-range modems help 4-link CA for obtain, whereas the C1 tops out at 3. Apparently, Qualcomm’s modems additionally help uplink service aggregation, whereas the C1 doesn’t. And but have a look at the add pace outcomes throughout all three carriers – the iPhone 16e handily beats its pricier sibling.
That is a formidable first outing for Apple. In future C1 variations and the C2, the corporate ought to concentrate on bettering 5G SA and service aggregation help, which ought to enhance its high-end efficiency. mmWave help could be good, however wouldn’t make a lot of a distinction in lots of areas.
Apple additionally claims that the C1 is probably the most environment friendly 5G modem that has been used on an iPhone but. The iPhone 16e formally lasts 21 hours of video streaming, whereas the iPhone 16 lasts 18 hours. That is with a bigger battery (4,005mAh vs. 3,561mAh), although. And to be truthful to Qualcomm, the X71 is older than the corporate’s present modems.
This isn’t the entire story – Ookla says it’s engaged on a extra detailed report that compares the entire iPhone 16 sequence. This report ends with a teaser – apparently, the iPhone 16 Professional Max beats the 16e in “most efficiency metrics”. The Professional Max makes use of the identical X71 modem, so the distinction comes from elsewhere (the antennas, maybe?).
