In an X post, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the switch to in-house Wi-Fi chips will “enhance connectivity across Apple devices” while also giving Apple a cost reduction.
“Following Qualcomm, Broadcom’s Wi-Fi chips will also be replaced by Apple’s in-house chips at a faster pace,” he writes. “My latest industry survey indicates that all new 2H25 iPhone 17 models will feature Apple’s in-house Wi-Fi chips (vs. only the slim iPhone 17 will adopt Apple’s C1 modem chip). Beyond cost reduction, the switch to in-house Wi-Fi chips will enhance connectivity across Apple devices.”
AppleInsider thinks that “it is likely that the limited use of the C1 modem is due to its lack of mmWave support, though it does work with sub-6GHz bands of 5G.” Without support for mmWave, Apple can’t say its iPhone will offer consumers the fastest cellular connectivity possible.
