A recent report by Ookla shows that Apple’s first in-house 5G modem, the C1, beats Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X71 under certain conditions. The study compared speeds on the iPhone 16e (C1 modem) against the iPhone 16 (X71 modem) across major US carriers—AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon.
Low and High Network Speeds
In the 10th percentile of tests, where network speeds are at their worst, the iPhone 16e managed 27.35Mbps, overshadowing the iPhone 16’s 16.66Mbps. It also maintained a narrow lead in the median tests. However, at the 90th percentile, the Qualcomm-based iPhone 16 outperformed the 16e with higher top speeds. When examining performance by carrier, the 16e demonstrated stronger results in weak-signal areas, while the iPhone 16 excelled with stronger connections.
T-Mobile and Carrier Aggregation
T-Mobile users saw the highest downlink speeds overall on both devices. Yet, those with the iPhone 16e generally reported slower rates than iPhone 16 owners, which Ookla attributes to T-Mobile’s deployment of 5G StandAlone (SA) networks and carrier aggregation (CA).
Apple’s C1 modem supports three-link CA, whereas the X71 often delivers four-link CA and supports uplink CA as well. Surprisingly, the 16e still showed better upload speeds than its more expensive sibling across all three carriers.
mmWave and Battery Efficiency
Currently, the iPhone 16e lacks mmWave 5G support, though Apple is reportedly developing a variant of the C1 with mmWave. For many regions, mmWave coverage remains limited or nonexistent, which has kept this omission from affecting overall performance. Apple also touts the C1 as its most battery-efficient 5G modem ever, and the iPhone 16e is officially rated for 21 hours of video streaming versus the 16’s 18 hours. This is helped in part by a larger 4,005 mAh battery compared to the 16’s 3,561 mAh cell. Qualcomm’s X71, introduced in 2022, is older than the company’s current modems.
Other Factors Involved
Ookla’s final note hints that the iPhone 16 Pro Max, which features the same X71 modem as the iPhone 16, beats the 16e in “most performance metrics.” The differences may come from factors like antenna design or additional hardware optimizations. A more detailed comparison of the entire iPhone 16 lineup is expected in an upcoming Ookla report.
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