All 2027 iPhones Expected to Use Apple Modems [Gurman]

Every iPhone model released in 2027 could use an Apple-designed cellular modem, with Mark Gurman expecting the company to drop Qualcomm chips from the lineup next year.

The U.S. iPhone 18 Pro Max still uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80, while the same model uses Apple's C2 elsewhere. The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo already use C2 worldwide.

Gurman says modem development delays and related contractual obligations kept Qualcomm chips in some 2026 iPhones, most notably the U.S. Pro Max. His expectation for 2027 would end that U.S. model exception in the next generation.

The hardware shift is separate from Apple and Qualcomm's newly renewed patent license, which takes effect April 1, 2027. The agreement covers royalties for cellular patents and does not require Apple to buy Qualcomm modems.

An earlier modem roadmap pointed to a third-generation Apple chip in 2027, though Gurman does not specify which in-house modem each model would use.