Industry analyst Jeff Pu reports that Apple will unveil its second-generation, in-house 5G modem chip, dubbed C2, in 2026, with the iPhone 18 Pro series being the inaugural recipient. Currently, the first-generation C1 chip does not support millimeter-wave (mmWave) 5G technology. Hence, with C2, Apple aims to bolster the capabilities of its custom modem, striving to meet or exceed Qualcomm's standards. Should Apple opt to exclusively integrate C2 into the Pro series, it is plausible that the standard iPhone 18 models may continue to leverage Qualcomm modems until Apple's proprietary technology reaches full maturity.
