The 16e is the first iPhone that uses Apple's new in-house C1 5G modem, which the company developed after a lot of expensive R&D and buying out Intel's 5G business. It's a modem that doesn't match up very well with Qualcomm's, at least on paper.

Chi Kuo has an outstanding reputation and he believes that the rest of the iPhone 17 series will stick with the Snapdragon 5G modem chip. But The Information has a different story to tell. Instead, it believes that yes,

There’s a lot to like about Apple’s newest $599 iPhone 16e, but one of the more interesting features in the device is the Apple-designed 5G modem. Apple has spent at least seven years developing the chip,