The iPhone 18 Pro Max sold in the United States has been confirmed to use a Qualcomm modem rather than Apple’s in-house cellular modem.

IT outlet 9to5Mac reported on Sept. 19, citing semiconductor analysis firm TechInsights, that a teardown of the iPhone 18 Pro Max showed the U.S. model carries a Qualcomm Snapdragon X80 modem.

Apple says on its technical specifications page that the iPhone 18 Pro includes its self-developed C2 cellular modem. The iPhone 18 Pro Max sold in all countries other than the United States also uses the C2 modem. For the iPhone 18 Pro Max sold in the United States, Apple did not separately specify which modem it uses.

There had been expectations that the U.S. version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max would use a Qualcomm modem, and the teardown confirmed that outlook. TechInsights said the Snapdragon X80 in the U.S. iPhone 18 Pro Max is the same model used in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max sold globally.

In the U.S. market, Apple’s transition to its own modem shows that the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max used the Qualcomm Snapdragon X71. The iPhone 16e later adopted Apple’s C1, while the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max used Qualcomm’s X80. The iPhone Air and iPhone 17e carried Apple’s C1X, and the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo included Apple’s C2. That means the U.S. iPhone 18 Pro Max uses Qualcomm’s X80 again.

Apple describes the C2 modem as improving cellular quality and reliability based on artificial intelligence (AI0). It also said upload speeds are meaningfully faster than with the C1X and power consumption is 15 percent lower. Unlike the existing C1 and C1X, the C2 also supports mmWave 5G.

Apple has not officially explained why it kept a Qualcomm modem in the U.S. iPhone 18 Pro Max. The original article raised the possibility that Apple’s existing contract with Qualcomm may have played a role, but this is speculation and not a confirmed fact. Qualcomm announced in 2023 that it had signed a deal to supply smartphone modems to Apple through 2026.

TechInsights also said its teardown of the U.S. iPhone 18 Pro Max identified Apple’s N1 wireless module and a new mmWave antenna module alongside the Qualcomm Snapdragon X80. TechInsights plans additional analysis of Apple and Qualcomm’s modem configuration as well as the A20 processor and wireless components.