When Apple introduced the iPhone 16e a few weeks ago, one aspect that drew the most attention was its network chip. The C1 is Apple’s first in-house modem to appear inside an iPhone, ditching the company’s total reliance on Qualcomm. However, there were also concerns about whether this modem is competitive.
The folks over at the popular internet speed testing platform, Ookla, tested the Apple-designed modem and found that it beats Qualcomm’s solution inside the iPhone 16 at a few crucial parameters. The analysis, which lasted roughly two weeks, covered AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile cellular networks.
On a general note, the iPhone 16e performed better than the iPhone 16 when tethered to AT&T and Verizon networks, while the reverse was true for T-Mobile. Ookla says the opposite T-Mobile results can be attributed to the carrier’s nationwide 5G standalone network (SA), while Apple’s C1 modem comes with limited SA compatibility.
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When the going gets tough, C1 rises
Interestingly, the iPhone 16e fares better than the Qualcomm modem-driven iPhone 16 in scenarios where network connectivity is challenging. Ookla refers to it as the bottom 10th percentile bracket. Across all three carriers, Apple’s C1 modem delivered better download speeds than its Qualcomm counterpart.
Even on T-Mobile waves, the iPhone 16e notched download speeds of 57.34 Mbps, while the iPhone 16 lags behind at 27.27 Mbps. But even at download speeds on the higher end, the iPhone 16e is no slouch. It notched peak downlink speeds in the range of 140-264 Mbps, which is enough for social media, streaming, and cloud gaming.
The tables are flipped when it comes to peak download speeds because the Qualcomm modem offers support for the faster mmWave flavor of 5G. However, Ookla notes the lower percentile scores are the more meaningful metrics.
“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,” says the report.
Notching a second surprise win
Interestingly, the iPhone 16e scored another crucial victory over the iPhone 16 at the all-too-important network metric of uplink speeds. Once again, on Verizon and AT&T networks, Apple’s C1 modem proved faster than Qualcomm’s modem, taking a lead worth up to 38% at upload speeds.
The results are remarkable, considering the fact that Qualcomm’s modem offers better downlink carrier aggregation than Apple’s C1 modem. Moreover, despite lacking support for uplink carrier aggregation tech, the iPhone 16e was still able to outperform the iPhone 16 at upload speeds.
Another independent test highlighted that the C1 modem was more energy efficient than Qualcomm’s option, which means the connectivity tax on the battery is lower. Moreover, the smaller size of its in-house modem allowed Apple to offer more battery juice on the affordable iPhone 16e than the pricier models in the iPhone 16 series.