iPhone 18 Pro Max Teardown Confirms U.S. Model Uses Qualcomm X80 Instead of Apple C2

The U.S. version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X80 modem rather than Apple’s new C2, according to a teardown from TechInsights.

The firm examined an iPhone 18 Pro Max model A3473 and found a Snapdragon X80 modem marked SDX80M paired with Qualcomm’s SDR875 converged RF transceiver. TechInsights also identified an Apple mmWave antenna module marked 339M00418, a new marking compared with the previous generation.

The finding confirms an unusual exception in Apple’s transition to its own cellular silicon. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo use the C2 modem worldwide, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses C2 outside the United States. Apple’s U.S. technical specifications list the C2 for the iPhone 18 Pro but leave the corresponding modem entry blank for the Pro Max.

The configuration also matches the split modem strategy described in leaked build documents earlier this year.

Elsewhere in the device, TechInsights identified Apple’s A20 Pro processor paired with LPDDR5X memory, 256GB of NAND flash, the N1 wireless combo module, an ultra-wideband module, and a Broadcom wireless charging receiver. The analysis remains preliminary, with further investigation of the Apple and Qualcomm modem configurations and mmWave module still underway.

Apple’s C2 modem supports mmWave 5G, unlike the earlier C1 and C1X. The company says C2 delivers meaningfully faster uploads than C1X while consuming 15% less energy.

Apple has not explained why the U.S. iPhone 18 Pro Max retains Qualcomm hardware while the same model uses C2 elsewhere. Qualcomm announced in 2023 that it would supply Apple with Snapdragon 5G modem-RF systems for smartphone launches in 2024, 2025, and 2026, though neither company has said whether that agreement is responsible for the U.S.-only configuration.

Independent comparisons between the C2 and Snapdragon X80 in the new iPhones have yet to appear.