iPhone 16e critiques at the moment are out, and Apple’s custom-designed C1 modem has been put to the check. The outcomes thus far are fairly stunning, because the C1’s speeds usually are not as gradual in comparison with Qualcomm modems as initially anticipated.

Whereas the C1 doesn’t assist ultra-fast mmWave 5G within the U.S., it seems to supply comparable 5G efficiency to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X71 modem discovered within the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Professional, and iPhone 16 Professional Max.

First, here’s what some reviewers mentioned.

The Verge‘s Allison Johnson didn’t discover a lot distinction between the C1 and the X71:

A lot of the 16E is acquainted, however there may be one solely new part: Apple’s C1 modem. That is its debut look, and the highway to Apple’s first in-house modem was reportedly stuffed with setbacks and delays. I’ve used it for the previous week to make FaceTime calls, add massive video information in crowded locations, and stream YouTube on the bus. I examined it alongside an everyday iPhone 16 geared up with a Qualcomm-made modem — each on Verizon — and I did not see any constant distinction in efficiency between the 2.

Tom’s Information‘s John Velasco did not appear to note any main distinction both:

And at last, you need to know that the iPhone 16e is the primary machine in Apple’s portfolio to function the corporate’s in-house C1 modem. It is a departure from the Qualcomm modem that Apple’s relied on for years now, but it surely’s troublesome to say if it finally delivers quicker 5G speeds. I ran pace exams on each the iPhone 16 and 16e at three completely different places in New York Metropolis, with just one check exhibiting quicker speeds with the iPhone 16e.

What about precise numbers?

In his iPhone 16e evaluate video, Andru Edwards mentioned the machine achieved a peak 5G obtain pace of 673 Mbps in his suburban New York yard, whereas linked to the AT&T community. In the identical location, he mentioned the iPhone 16 Professional Max achieved as much as a 667 Mbps obtain pace, so the outcomes appear to be roughly equal.

In the midst of New York Metropolis, Edwards mentioned his iPhone 16e achieved a obtain pace of 127 Mbps on AT&T, whereas the iPhone 16 Professional Max clocked in at 75 Mbps on the identical community. In that check, the iPhone 16 Professional Max did have a superior add pace of round 50 Mbps, in comparison with round 30 Mbps for the iPhone 16e.

In one other iPhone 16e evaluate video, shared by Dave Lee of the YouTube channel Dave2D, a pace check exhibits the machine getting round 30 Mbps to 40 Mbps quicker 5G obtain speeds in comparison with an iPhone 16 Professional Max. Each units have been linked to the Bell community in Toronto, essentially the most populous metropolis in Canada.

And at last, extra scientific testing was shared on YouTube by the Chinese language channel Geekerwan.

The channel examined 5G efficiency on numerous smartphones with a man-made 5G community in a lab atmosphere, and the iPhone 16e had comparable 5G speeds and reliability in comparison with the iPhone 16 and different units.

Apple says the C1 modem is essentially the most power-efficient iPhone modem ever. Extra particularly, Apple appears to have informed reviewers that the modem is as much as 25% extra energy environment friendly than Qualcomm modems in different iPhones, and that seems to be an correct assertion. Geekerwan’s testing discovered the iPhone 16e had a mean energy draw of 0.67W, versus 0.88W for the iPhone 16, which is certainly round a 25% enchancment in effectivity.

All in all, these outcomes are stunning in comparison with reported expectations, and so they show that the C1 modem works simply nice in each the true world and lab.