Apple Debuts In-House Modem Chip C2 in iPhone 18 Pro and Foldable iPhone Duo

At its September 11, 2026 launch event, Apple introduced the iPhone 18 Pro and the foldable iPhone Duo, both powered by the company's new self-developed modem chip C2. This marks the first time Apple has used an in-house modem in its flagship devices. Compared with the previous C1X chip, the C2 offers faster upload speeds, 15% lower energy consumption, and mmWave support in the United States.

Apple's earlier modem chips, the C1 and C1X, were used in the iPhone 16e and iPhone Air respectively, and were widely seen as trial deployments. With the C2 now in flagship models, Apple's modem self-sufficiency strategy has taken a bigger step forward.

The company also unveiled the A20 Pro chip, built on a 2nm process. It delivers 50% more memory bandwidth than the A19 Pro, includes a 6-core CPU with a neural accelerator, and offers a 7-core GPU that is 40% faster. Apple said the combined upgrades give the A20 Pro twice the AI performance of the A19 Pro. The chip also adopts a custom package derived from Apple's M-series design, which positions memory away from the chip's thermal path and connects to a redesigned vapor chamber, improving sustained performance by 40%.

The iPhone Duo starts at 15,999 yuan in China for the 256GB model, with the 2TB version priced at 26,499 yuan. In the US, it starts at $1,999. Counterpoint Research associate director Liz Lee said the pricing is notably aggressive for a first-generation foldable, coming in only about $100 above Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8, and could drive strong demand from iPhone Pro users and early adopters.

Research firm Smart Analytics Global predicts Apple will ship 6 million foldable units in 2026, capturing 25% of the global foldable market, and could surpass Samsung by 2027 to become the world's largest foldable phone maker.