After years of simultaneously competing with Qualcomm and slugging it out in court, Apple has launched its long-awaited C1 modem in its new iPhone 16e handset.
On Wednesday, a benchmark test released by Ookla revealed that the C1 beat Qualcomm’s 5G modem in some areas, complete with surprising results.
The Ookla tests tracked performance on the top three US carriers across three different tiers:
- 10th percentile (lowest performance experience)
- Median performance
- 90th percentile (highest performance experience)
The full data offers a nuanced picture of how each device fares against the other, but there were a number of key takeaways.
First, the iPhone 16e with C1 was the clear winner in the 10th percentile. This means that when analyzing those situations when connectivity is a struggle, and download speeds suffer, the C1 offered a better experience than Qualcomm’s modem.
Qualcomm’s modem fared better in the 90th percentile, wherein the iPhone 16 with Qualcomm had better top download speeds across AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
However, Ookla says this is unlikely to matter as much to users:
“Performance at the lowest 10th percentile often provides a more accurate reflection of overall quality of experience (QoE) than the fastest 90th percentile, which can be skewed by deployments in mmWave-covered locations and is subject to declining marginal returns.”
Where median performance was concerned, the iPhone 16e with Apple’s C1 modem offered faster median speeds across both AT&T and Verizon. Still, T-Mobile users got faster median speeds with Qualcomm’s hardware as opposed to than C1.
Finally, upload speeds were consistently faster for iPhone 16e—across all major carriers. With AT&T and Verizon the C1 offered in the ballpark of double the upload speeds of Qualcomm. For T-Mobile customers, the C1 was able to edge out Qualcomm’s modem, but just barely.
As such, Apple has assembled a good modem, especially for its first-generation hardware, and is said to be readily developing future versions. Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.