The iPhone 16e contains Apple's first custom-designed C1 modem. Since this is Apple's new chip category, people have been questioning the advantages of C1 compared to the Qualcomm modems Apple has used for years. It turns out that the iPhone 16e performs almost as well or better than the iPhone 16 in many speed tests comparing sub-6GHz performance, but that also varies by network.
According to cellular performance data shared by Ookla, the median download speed of Verizon and AT&T iPhone 16e users is better than that of iPhone 16 users, but the median download speed of T-Mobile users using iPhone 16 is slightly higher than iPhone 16e.
Judging from the maximum speed of each operator, iPhone16e is better than iPhone16 because iPhone16e does not support millimeter wave 5G. The iPhone 16e cannot connect to the fastest mmWave 5G network, and is limited to connections in the sub-6GHz band. mmWave is mainly found in urban areas and is not as popular as networks below the 6GHz band.
In the case of poor connectivity, iPhone16e performs better than iPhone16.
Ookla's test shows that T-Mobile users using iPhone 16e have a median download speed of 264.71Mb/s, while users using iPhone 16 have a median download speed of 357.47, a 24% increase in speed. Ookla believes that the reason for the iPhone 16e’s poor performance on T-Mobile’s network may be T-Mobile’s advanced features such as 5G independent network and carrier aggregation.
For Verizon users, both iPhone 16e and iPhone 16 are experiencing slow download speeds, which appears to be a network issue. The median download speed for iPhone 16e users on Verizon is 140.77Mb/s. The download speed of iPhone16 is even lower, 124.4Mb/s.
As for AT&T users, the median download speed for iPhone 16e is 226.9Mb/s, while iPhone 16 is 146.49Mb/s.
Across all operators, iPhone 16e has better upload speeds than iPhone 16, with the difference most obvious on Verizon and AT&T networks. T-Mobile is the network with the fastest download and upload speeds for iPhone 16e and iPhone 16.
By equipping the iPhone with the C1 modem, Apple has made the iPhone more efficient and consumes less power than a Qualcomm modem. Apple says the C1 is the most efficient modem ever used in the iPhone, and the iPhone 16e does have longer battery life than the iPhone 16.
The C1 modem is Apple's first step toward becoming independent from Qualcomm, and Apple has long been working to reduce its reliance on Qualcomm technology. Apple is already developing a C2 modem for future devices, which is expected to support millimeter wave 5G.