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iPhone Air’s C1X Chip Performs on Par With Qualcomm's Flagship X80 Modem, Ookla Says

iPhone Air’s C1X Chip Performs on Par With Qualcomm's Flagship X80 Modem, Ookla Says

Apple’s C1X network chip is currently found on the iPhone Air and iPhone 17e.

Written by Dhruv Raghav, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 24 March 2026 11:00 IST

iPhone Air’s C1X Chip Performs on Par With Qualcomm's Flagship X80 Modem, Ookla Says

iPhone Air (pictured) features Apple's A19 Pro chipset

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Highlights

iPhone 17e was launched earlier this month
Qualcomm X80 is also found on other flagship phones
South Korea is reportedly the largest market for the iPhone Air

Apple introduced its new C1X network chip in September last year with the thin and light iPhone Air. Launched earlier this month, the iPhone 17e is also equipped with the same modem. Recently, a report highlighted that the C1X chip failed on a user's iPhone Air when the handset suddenly stopped receiving network signals one morning, which raised doubts about its reliability. However, a report collating network test results from various devices suggests that the Apple Silicon C1X network chip managed to achieve “real-world” performance parity with its competition, which is also found on flagship iPhone models. The new thin and light iPhone model is reportedly also seeing a higher adoption rate than the Plus models.

iPhone Air's C1X Chip Outpaced Qualcomm's Modem on Some Tests

According to a report by Ookla, the Seattle-based network intelligence and diagnosis firm, Apple's proprietary C1X network chip found on the iPhone Air and iPhone 17e has managed to achieve “real-world” parity in latency and download performance with the Qualcomm X80 modem, found on flagship Android phones and iPhone models, including the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Apple's in-house modem was able to provide similar performance on various networks “in both ideal and challenging conditions”. The report added that Apple's C1X network chip is no longer a compromise over the competition from the chipmaker Qualcomm. Instead, the C1X chip has come out as a “performance equaliser”. However, the report also acknowledged that the upcoming flagship Android phones, scheduled to be launched in the first half of this year, will be equipped with the Qualcomm X85 modem, which is expected to ship with enhanced performance over its predecessor.

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Interestingly, Ookla also highlighted that the iPhone Air outpaced the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which uses the Qualcomm X80 chip, in terms of latency. The C1X-equipped iPhone Air managed to outperform the flagship iPhone model on various latency metrics in 19 of 22 markets, based on the speed test data analysed. The report speculates that this could have been possible because of Apple's better modem-to-processor integration, emerging as a “key differentiating point” for the Apple Silicon-powered devices.

However, Apple's proprietary chip reportedly still struggles in some aspects. For example, the Qualcomm X80-equipped iPhone 17 Pro Max retained up to a 32 percent lead in upload speeds. This reportedly suggests that the C1X modem could be limited by its narrower carrier aggregation capability. The report also highlighted that Qualcomm X80's superior upload speed performance is due to the Uplink Carrier Aggregation (UL-CA), which “remains the industry benchmark”.

Ookla's speed test results also indicate that the new iPhone Air, which was launched in September 2025 along with the iPhone 17 series, is seeing a higher adoption rate than the Plus models, with South Korea being the largest market for the thin and light handset, followed by Japan, Sweden, Singapore, Italy, Spain, and UAE.

iPhone Air

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Incredibly lightweight and super thin
Stunning display
Solid performance
Good primary and selfie cameras

Bad
A single-camera sensor at the back
Slow charging
Battery life could have been better
Mono speaker leaves much to be desired
Expensive

Read detailed Apple iPhone Air review

Display 6.50-inch

Processor Apple A19 Pro

Front Camera 18-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

OS iOS 26

Resolution 1260x2736 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

Apple iPhone 17e

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A19

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel

RAM 8GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB

OS iOS 26

Resolution 1170x2532 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

iPhone 17 Pro Max

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
The boldest redesign since the iPhone X
Bright and stunning display
A19 Pro under the hood guarantees excellent performance
Massive camera upgrade
Video quality gets a much-needed bump
Centre Stage camera at the front changes selfie game on iPhones forever
Improved charging speed

Bad
Aluminium body picks up scratches
Expensive
Heavier than the 16 Pro Max

Read detailed Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max review

Display 6.90-inch

Processor Apple A19 Pro

Front Camera 18-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 48-megapixel + 48-megapixel

RAM 12GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB, 2TB

OS iOS 26

Resolution 1320x2868 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

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Further reading: iPhone Air, Apple C1X Modem, Qualcomm X80 Modem, iPhone 17e, iPhone 17 Pro Max, Apple

Dhruv Raghav

Email Dhruv Raghav

Dhruv Raghav is currently working as a Senior Sub Editor at Gadgets360. He has previously covered the North American financial markets as a Headline News Correspondent for a major news agency. After taking a sabbatical to prepare for the Civil Services examination, he returned to journalism to cover tech policy, with a special focus on AI laws and online gaming regulation. Now, he is back in Gadgets360 to write features and edit stories. To unwind, he likes to spend time with his PS5, listening ...More