A few years ago, Apple started developing their own chips, the AXX and MX series, for their devices, also known as Apple Silicon. On the Mac, Intel processors were abandoned, while in the iPhone the ARM processors were replaced by Apple Silicon.
With the launch of the iPhone Air, there will be a successor for the C1 modem chip, namely the C1X, and Apple introduces the N1 network chip for the first time.
C1X Successor of the C1 ModemChip
After years of development, Apple has also been using its own fashion chip since last year, referred to as the letter C. The first version, the Apple C1, was used for the first time in the iPhone 16th earlier this year, replacing the Qualcomm modemchips for mobile data connections. With the introduction of the iPhone Air, Apple has presented a successor in the form of the C1X ModemChip.
The C1X modem offers a doubled speed compared to the C1 modem and performs better than the modem in the iPhone 16 Pro with the same mobile technology. In addition, the C1X uses 30% less energy at general tasks, which makes the ModemChip very energy-efficient.
The C1X chip can only be found in the iPhone Air and supports Sub-6GHZ 5G and 4G LTE networks with 4×4 MIMO, but provides no support for the faster MMWave 5G.
New N1 chip for WiFi, Bluetooth 6 and Thread
The N1 will replace the network chips that Apple previously decreased from suppliers such as Broadcom. The N1 can be found in the iPhone Air, iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro models, and is a network chip that offers compatibility with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5 and Thread.
Because Apple designs the chip itself, they can combine it without any problems with the rest of the hardware and software in the ‌iphone‌. This ensures that the chip is more efficient and offers higher reliability. According to Apple, the N1 chip leads to improved performance and a higher reliability of functions such as personal hotspot and airdrop.
Support for Wi-Fi 7 is not new, since the iPhone 16 models already have this. Thread was also a function in the previous generation ‌iphone 16‌ models. Thread-compatible Smart Home products can be controlled directly with a thread radio.
Bluetooth 6
The integration of Bluetooth 6 in the N1 chip is a step forward compared to the older Bluetooth 5.3. Bluetooth 6 reduces interference in busy environments, which benefits reliability, lowers the latency and optimizes the wake and sleep cycles, leading to a longer battery life. Furthermore, the N1 chip offers improved support for multi-stream audio for a spatial sound experience and offers better support for hearing aids.
Thanks to the N1, C1X and other optimisations, the ‌IPhone 17‌ models have one of the longest battery life of all ‌iphone ‌ models to date.
Why develop your own modem and network chip?
The modem and network chips were one of the few iPhone components that Apple had to buy from competitors such as Qualcomm. License costs had to be paid to the manufacturer before using these chips. By developing a modem and network chip yourself, Apple no longer has to pay these costs. This can probably have a positive effect on the profit margin of the iPhones.