Apple C1X and N1 Communications Chips Announced for 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread

In addition to announcing the more powerful Apple 19 Pro and Apple A19 chips, Apple also announced two new Apple C1X and Apple N1 chips for communications purposes. Apple's move to be more independent in modern chips and communications will allow them to no longer rely on Qualcomm and Broadcom in the future.

The Apple C1X modem chip is a continuation of the Apple C1 used in the iPhone 16e earlier this year. It is only used in the iPhone Air and it brings 5G 6GHz support but without the mmWave supported by the iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro series.

According to Apple, the 5G performance of the C1X is faster than Qualcomm's modem in the iPhone 16 Pro but reduces power consumption by up to 30%. This is important for the iPhone Air equipped with a small capacity battery.

The Apple N1 communications chip also brings support for Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and the Thread device connection protocol. According to Apple, the A1 chip will improve the performance of using AirDrop and Personal Hotspot. Apple N1 is used on iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max and iPhone Air