Apple’s Custom Silicon Opens up Potential for a Cellular MacBook

iPhone Air share of mix samples 2x iPhone Plus

Explore how Apple’s C1X modem performs in the real world, with Ookla Speedtest data from Q4 2025 showing the iPhone Air matching Qualcomm’s X80 download speeds while setting new latency benchmarks.

iPhone Air marginalizes competing slim form-factors. The iPhone Air has largely eclipsed the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge globally, out-sampling it 3-to-1 in the U.S. based on Speedtest data, while the Edge remains statistically negligible in terms of adoption across European markets. South Korea remains the primary competitive exception, driven by strong home-market bias.

In 2024, the iPhone 16 Plus was the clear laggard of the range, capturing a mere 2.9% of the launch mix. By sunsetting the iPhone Plus and replacing it with the design-centric iPhone Air, Apple more than doubled the share of this roster slot to 6.8%. This suggests that “Slim” as a category successfully resonates with a segment of the market that “Large” simply did not.

Apple’s newest hardware cycle centered on a key question: could Apple’s first high-performance modem, the C1X, improve upon the original C1? Furthermore, could it match the industry-standard Qualcomm X80, without the thermal headroom of a “Pro” chassis. Despite its slim form-factor, the iPhone Air does include a vapor chamber to aid cooling, while its titanium frame also aids heat dispersion. Qualcomm remains a formidable incumbent with its X85 modem, which alongside MediaTek’s M90, will feature in newer Android flagship devices this year. Based on comparisons with the X80, our data suggests that Apple’s silicon has reached a critical maturity point, shifting the conversation from a performance gap to a strategic “equalizer” in real-world performance.

Source: Ookla®

NB: Lots of very interesting data in the source. Definitely worth looking at carefully. The conclusion is quite a bombshell…

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