Even after the arrival of its in-house modems, Apple’s product lines still mostly rely on Qualcomm for cellular hardware. Here are all the Qualcomm chips Apple uses.

On June 30, AppleInsider revealed that the iPhone 18 Pro might ship in two region-specific modem configurations: a Qualcomm modem in the United States, and the Apple C2 elsewhere in the world. The information serves as the perfect illustration of Apple’s continued reliance on Qualcomm.

While the original iPhone featured an Infineon modem, Apple started using Qualcomm hardware in February 2011, with the Verizon variant of the iPhone 4.

Since then, nearly all iPhone and cellular iPad models have come with a Qualcomm modem, with the iPhone 16e, iPhone 17e, and iPhone Air being the only exceptions.

Qualcomm modems in the iPhone

In the United States, the switch to Qualcomm hardware had a lot to do with the carriers through which customers could get an iPhone. Until 2011, all iPhones were available through AT&T, which supported the GSM or Global System for Mobile Communications standard.

The CDMA variant of the iPhone 4 was the first iPhone to use a Qualcomm modem.

Other major carriers, like Sprint and Verizon, meanwhile, used a different radio technology by the name of CDMA, or Code Division Multiple Access. In short, because existing Infineon modems only offered GSM support, Apple decided to turn to Qualcomm for a CDMA modem.

The CDMA iPhone 4, launched in February 2011, included the MDM6600 modem. Even though the modem itself supported both GSM and CDMA, the Verizon iPhone 4 was only designed to use CDMA. It had no SIM card slot.

With the iPhone 4S, Apple used the Qualcomm MDM6610, which could switch between GSM and CDMA as needed. Then, the iPhone 5 continued the trend with the Qualcomm MDM9615M, also known as the Qualcomm Gobi 5000.

Apple continued to use Qualcomm modems exclusively until the iPhone 7, when the Intel XMM7360 was used for iPhone models sold via AT&T and T-Mobile. Intel’s modems lacked CDMA support, only offering GSM. For CDMA iPhone 7 models, the Qualcomm MDM9645M was used.

With the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, Apple used the gigabit-capable Qualcomm Snapdragon X16 for CDMA models sold in the United States. International and GSM models used the Intel XMM 7480.

The situation would once again change with the iPhone XS, though. Due to a legal dispute with Qualcomm in January 2017, the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone 11 range all used Intel modems.

However, with the iPhone 12 range in 2020, Apple once again returned to Qualcomm modems, using the Snapdragon X55, which introduced mmWave support. mmWave is a high-speed 5G network available in the United States.

Qualcomm modems saw exclusive use with the iPhone 13, iPhone 14, and iPhone 15ines. Most of the iPhone 16 range also used Qualcomm Snapdragon modems, except for one model.

Apple’s iPhone 16e was the first iPhone to feature an in-house modem, the C1. The Apple-designed modem allowed for improved battery life and power efficiency, though at the cost of mmWave support.

The iPhone 17e continued the trend with the C1X modem, which also made its way into the ultra-thin iPhone Air. The standard iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, however, continued to use Qualcomm Snapdragon modems.

With the iPhone 18 range, Apple is expected to offer multiple modem configurations. While the iPhone 18e and iPhone Air 2 will most likely use Apple-designed modems, the C2 could also ship in iPhone 18 Pro models sold outside the United States.

For mmWave-compatible iPhone 18 Pro models, meanwhile, Apple seemingly plans to use Qualcomm Snapdragon modems.

In short, iPhones used Infineon modems before it began relying on Qualcomm hardware throughout the early to mid 2010s. After a few years where iPhones shipped exclusively with Intel modems, Apple switched back to Qualcomm modems, until the C1 and C1X came along.

Qualcomm modems across iPhone models:

• iPhone 4 (CDMA): MDM6600
• iPhone 4S: MDM6610
• iPhone 5, 5S, 5C: MDM9615M
• iPhone 6 and iPhone SE 2016: MDM9625M
• iPhone 6S: MDM9635M
• iPhone 7 CDMA: MDM9645M
• iPhone 8 and iPhone X CDMA: Snapdragon X16
• iPhone 12 range: Snapdragon X55
• iPhone SE 3 (2022): Snapdragon X57
• iPhone 13 range: Snapdragon X60
• iPhone 14 range: Snapdragon X65
• iPhone 15 range: Snapdragon X70
• iPhone 16 range (except iPhone 16e): Snapdragon X71
• iPhone 17 range (except iPhone 17e & iPhone Air): Snapdragon X80
• iPhone 18 Pro mmWave (expected): Snapdragon X85

Qualcomm modems in iPad

As with the iPhone, the original iPad featured an Infineon modem. With cellular models of the iPad 2, Apple used an Intel modem for GSM variants, and a Qualcomm MDM6600 modem for the CDMA variant.

The cellular variant of the iPad mini 7 still features a Qualcomm modem.

Cellular models of the iPad 3 used the Qualcomm MDM9600 for both CDMA and GSM variants, with the MDM9615 being in the iPad 4, the original iPad Air, and the first three generations of iPad mini.

The Qualcomm MDM9625 was used in the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 4. The following MDM9635 was used in 2015 and 2016 iPad Pro models. The 2017 iPad 5 similarly uses a Qualcomm modem, with the Qualcomm Snapdragon X12 modem being in the 2017 iPad Pro.

Starting with the 2018 iPad Pro and iPad 6, as with the iPhone, Apple moved away from Qualcomm to Intel modems. That remained the case with the 2020 iPad Pro and iPad mini 5,

With the 2021 M1 iPad Pro, Apple went back to using Qualcomm modems, starting with the Snapdragon X55. Meanwhile, the iPad mini 6, iPad Air 5, and 10th-generation iPad used the Qualcomm Snapdragon X60.

The M2 iPad Pro featured a Snapdragon X65 modem, while the M4 iPad Pro, M2 iPad Air, and M3 iPad Air, iPad mini 7, and A16 iPad all used the Snapdragon X70.

With the M5 iPad Pro and M4 iPad Air, however, Apple made the switch to its C1X modem, allowing for better battery life. Future iPad Pro models will most likely continue to use Apple-designed modems.

Qualcomm modems across cellular iPads:

• iPad 2 CDMA: MDM6600
• iPad 3: MDM9600
• iPad 4, iPad Air 1, iPad mini 1, 2, 3: MDM9615
• iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4: MDM9625
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch 2015 and iPad Pro 9.7-inch: MDM9635
• iPad Pro 12.9-inch 2017 and iPad Pro 10.5-inch: Snapdragon X12
• M1 iPad Pro: Snapdragon X55
• iPad mini 6, iPad Air 5: Snapdragon X60
• M2 iPad Pro: Snapdragon X65
• M4 iPad Pro, M2 iPad Air, M3 iPad Air, iPad mini 7, iPad mini A16: Snapdragon X70

Qualcomm modems in Apple Watch

The original 2015 Apple Watch was not offered in a cellular variant, meaning it used no Qualcomm parts. An unreleased cellular variant of the Apple Watch Series 2 is said to have used Qualcomm’s MDM9625 modem.

The first Apple Watch with a Qualcomm modem was the Apple Watch Series 3.

It wouldn’t be until the Apple Watch Series 3 that the Apple Watch received a cellular modem, that being the Qualcomm MDM9635. For the Apple Watch Series 4 through Apple Watch Series 7, along with the original Apple Watch SE, Apple switched to Intel modems.

For the Apple Watch Series 8 through Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 1 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple reverted to using Qualcomm modems. The Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch SE 3, meanwhile, offer a MediaTek 5G modem that supports RedCap technology, a power-efficient form of 5G.

Apple’s remaining product lines, including the Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, and HomePod, do not feature Qualcomm components, as none of these devices feature cellular capabilities. They do have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules, but Apple generally uses Broadcom components or the N1 chip for that.

The Siri Remote for the fourth-generation Apple TV, though, did feature a Qualcomm CSR1010 Bluetooth radio. This was not the case for the Apple TV itself, however.

In short, Apple has often sourced modems from Qualcomm, and it still does, albeit only out of necessity. Once Apple’s C-series modems receive mmWave support, Apple will likely phase out all Qualcomm modems.