iPhone 16e’s C1 modem outperformed the iPhone 16 in Canada

Ookla, the company behind SpeedTest and Downdetector, has analyzed the performance of the iPhone 16e‘s Apple C1 modem (released last February) and compared it to the performance of the iPhone 16‘s Qualcomm modem.

Image Credit: Ookla

Ookla found that the iPhone 16e’s Apple C1 modem performed similarly within the countries that were examined in the report. Notably, the iPhone 16e’s median download speed of 128.66Mbps pulled slightly ahead of the iPhone 16 in Canada (Ookla doesn’t specify a specific median download speed for the iPhone 16).

The largest difference between median download speeds was in Saudi Arabia, where the 16’s median speed was recorded at 353.49Mbps, compared to the 16e’s 295.01Mbps. On the other side of the graph, the iPhone 16e led the way in Spain, recording a median download speed of 139.88Mbps, compared to the iPhone 16’s 110.38Mbps.

In terms of upload speed, the iPhone 16e outperformed the iPhone 16 in 15 of the 21 markets examined for the report. Canada’s speeds were the most drastic according to Ookla, with the 16e seeing a median upload speed of 23.91Mbps, while the iPhone 16’s upload speeds were less than half of the 16e’s, seeing speeds of 11.57Mbps.

Similarly to download speeds, the iPhone 16 performs strongly in countries like Saudi Arabia, Austria, and China, with upload speeds reaching up to 34.12 Mbps.

As mentioned previously, the iPhone 16 saw better performance on more capable networks that have a 5G standard architecture (China, Saudi Arabia, etc.). Due to technological capabilities, Ookla notes that the iPhone 16e was not able to achieve the same level of performance as the iPhone 16; however, it performed better in markets where some networks could become a “bottleneck” for the iPhone 16’s Qualcomm chip.

Image Credit: Ookla

Ookla also noted that the iPhone 16e is the most popular in Japan, where the share of iPhone sales is 11.3 per cent. Japan is followed by France and Spain, which sit at 5.9 and 5.8 per cent of iPhone sales, respectively. Canada sits towards the bottom of the chart, as only 3 per cent of iPhone sales are the iPhone 16e.

Interestingly, Ookla’s study differs slightly from a study commissioned by Qualcomm that put its own chips ahead of Apple’s C1 modem, though even that study acknowledged the modems were very close in performance, with Qualcomm only gaining an edge in some edge cases.

The timing of Ookla’s study is also notable as Apple prepares to unveil new iPhones at an event on Sept. 9. One device, the rumoured iPhone 17 Air, is expected to sport the C1 modem as well.