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 tipster known as @itspdfu, who has been digging through Apple’s software updates in recent weeks, iOS 27 code reveals that the iPhone 18 Pro Max is equipped with a Qualcomm modem instead of the C2 chip in the U.S.

Apple has yet to provide an explanation for this modem difference, so we can only speculate for now. In 2023, Qualcomm announced that it would supply Apple with smartphone modems through 2026, so perhaps Apple is equipping the U.S. Version of the iPhone 18 Pro Max with a Qualcomm modem to honor this agreement in a minimum way.

Apple’s C2 modem supports ultra-fast mmWave 5G in the U.S., unlike its previous-generation C1 and C1X modems. Qualcomm modems in the iPhone 12 and newer already supported mmWave 5G in the U.S., so Apple is playing catch up here. Apple said the C2 delivers "meaningfully faster uploads" compared to the C1X while consuming 15% less energy.

Now that we’ve had a few days to mull over Apple’s newest iPhones, it’s time to share our initial thoughts. Some things are as clear as day – Apple will still sell every new iPhone that it manufactures, and it’s almost a 100% certainty that it will struggle to keep the iPhone Duo in stock.

With that out of the way, here’s our hot take. Apple took its sweet time with its first foldable, and it shows Apple reportedly have been actively working on its first foldable since at least 2019.

Reportedly, Tim Cook came back from a trip to China, apparently very energized about… IPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo hot-take.

IPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo hot-take – com news ADVERTISEMENT iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo hot-take Post your comment Comments (2) Ivan 12 September 2026 Apple iOS Featured Hot take Now that we’ve had a few days to mull over Apple’s newest iPhones, it’s time to share our initial thoughts. We heard Apple would launch its first folding phone in 2023, then 2024, then we were almost sure it was going to happen in 2025.

And it’s clear that Apple made smart use of all that time. In typical Apple fashion, the company arrived late to a significant product, but made it more refined than everyone else.

Apple’s first-generation C1 modem debuted in the iPhone 16e in February 2025, and the second-generation C1X debuted in the iPhone Air in September 2025. As mentioned, as Apple’s transition away from Qualcomm continues.

It is unclear which Qualcomm modem is in U.S. Units of the iPhone 18 Pro Max, but the Snapdragon X85 is most likely.

Over the coming weeks, real-world performance tests should show how the C2 and Snapdragon X85 stack up. Apple’s foldable iPhone Duo uses the C2 modem worldwide.

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