Apple’s new iPhone 17 Pro Max has been taken apart, and the new teardown confirms that the company is still relying on Qualcomm for high-end 5G modems. The phone uses the Snapdragon X80 modem, while the ultra-thin iPhone Air features the company’s in-house C1X modem. The Snapdragon X80 is a very powerful chip when it comes to performance, as it has a built-in AI system that helps boost speeds, lower latency, extend coverage, and provide greater efficiency compared to its predecessor.
Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro Max teardown confirms Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X80 modem with AI-powered 5G performance and mmWave support
The teardown video was posted on Bilibili today, which appears to confirm that the iPhone 17 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon X80 modem. While real-world tests regarding Apple’s own C1X modem are yet to appear, the X80 modem will make the 5G experience faster while not having an impact on your iPhone’s battery life due to its low power-hungry nature.
Another detail that was pointed out is that the Snapdragon X80 modem features support for mmWave 5G, which is the ultra-fast version of 5G that can perform exceptionally even in crowded places like stadiums and city centers. However, the good news is only limited to users residing in the United States, as the feature is not yet active for the rest of the world. Apple’s own modem does not compete in this regard yet, as the C1X chip only supports sub-6GHz 5G. While such connections travel farther and work better in rural or suburban areas, they cannot match mmWave’s raw speed in the right conditions.
Apple is working on a C2 modem for next year’s iPhone 18 Pro models, which could finally bring support for mmWave to the company’s own hardware. This would give the company more control over its products while equally reducing reliance on Qualcomm for modems. Apple’s C2 modem would also be more power efficient, which means that the battery life would stretch further than what Apple claims in the current models.
We can also assess that Apple is playing it safe with the launch of the iPhone 17 Pro models by sticking with Qualcomm, while ensuring the best 5G experience available today. Meanwhile, the company is advancing forward with its own technology in the background for the years to come. Do you think Apple will use its custom modem in the iPhone 18 Pro models? Let us know in the comments below.