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One of Apple’s key marketing points for the upcoming iPhone 17 Air will be that it marks the company’s first device to ship with both an in-house Wi-Fi chip and a custom 5G modem. In a previous report, we mentioned these components would be included, but it was uncertain whether Apple would source the best baseband chip or reuse one from an existing model. It turns out they are reusing a part found in the iPhone 16e, which means the iPhone 17 Air will also lack mmWave network support.
A switch to Apple’s C1 modem on the iPhone 17 Air could result in better battery life, similar to what happened with the iPhone 16e. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the entire iPhone 17 lineup (excluding the iPhone 17 Air) will ship with a Qualcomm 5G modem. The slimmer version of the iPhone 17 will also use the C1 found in the iPhone 16e. One major drawback is that this in-house silicon does not support mmWave networks, only sub-6GHz ones. While sub-6GHz offers significantly higher coverage and range, making it more reliable and less taxing on the battery, mmWave networks can reach up to 1Gbps+ downlink speeds.
Despite the lack of mmWave support, the iPhone 16e was marketed as having excellent battery life for a 6.1-inch model, thanks in part to the C1 modem. The same benefits are expected for the iPhone 17 Air, which is rumored to have an unusually small 2,800mAh battery.
These improvements will be possible because the C1, working with the smartphone’s A19 Pro chipset, intelligently prioritizes data traffic based on time sensitivity, thereby adapting to user needs and saving battery. While these benefits are worth it for the iPhone 17 Air, we expect some fair criticism when Apple charges a premium for this upcoming release.
News Source: Mark Gurman
