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Saturday, 12 September 2026 Reading Room

Tech

Apple Says iPhone 18 Pro Max Sold in U.S. Differs in One Way

As noted by Nicolas Lellouche , who writes for the French tech website Numerama , Apple has updated its tech specs pages for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max to clarify which models are equipped with its new C2 cellular modem and where. Apple now says the iPhone 18 Pro has a C2 modem worldwide, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses the chip in every country except for the U.S. According to a…

macrumors.com ·

Apple Says iPhone 18 Pro Max Sold in U.S. Differs in One Way

Apple has updated its tech specifications for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, revealing that the former has a C2 cellular modem worldwide, while the latter uses this chip in every country except the United States. According to an anonymous tipster known as @itspdfu, iOS 27 code indicates the iPhone 18 Pro Max in the U.S. is equipped with a Qualcomm modem, rather than the C2 chip.

Apple has not yet provided an explanation for this difference. Qualcomm, which has supplied Apple with smartphone modems through 2026, likely equipped the U.S. version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max with a Qualcomm modem to meet this agreement minimally. The C2 modem supports ultra-fast mmWave 5G in the U.S., a feature not present in previous Qualcomm modems.

Apple claims the C2 delivers faster uploads with 15% less energy consumption compared to the C1X. The C1 modem debuted in the iPhone 16e in 2025, and the C1X in the iPhone Air the same year. The C2 modem has now arrived in all iPhone 18 Pro models except the U.S. version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max. It remains unclear which Qualcomm modem is used in the U.S. units of the iPhone 18 Pro Max, but the Snapdragon X85 is the most likely candidate.

Over the coming weeks, real-world performance tests will reveal how the C2 and Snapdragon X85 modems compare. Apple's foldable iPhone Duo uses the C2 modem worldwide.

Written by urgent.news from MacRumors's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

Read the original at macrumors.com →

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