It has been revealed that the Apple C2 mobile communication modem installed in the iPhone 18 Pro series and iPhone Duo supports 5G millimeter waves.
The model for the US can use 5G millimeter waves, while the model for Japan is equipped with the same C2 but supports only the 5G sub-6GHz band.
It was expected that the iPhone 18 Pro series for the US, which requires 5G millimeter wave support, would be equipped with the Qualcomm X80 series 5G modem, but in reality, the C2 is used.
Apple C2 country support status
The iPhone 18 Pro series and iPhone Duo, which are equipped with the Apple C2 mobile communications modem, support different 5G frequency bands for Japan and the United States.
The model for the US supports 5G millimeter wave n258, n260, and n261, but the compatible frequency bands for the model for Japan do not include these.
iPhone18 Pro series
| Model for Japan | Model for the US | |
|---|---|---|
| model number | A3713 A3716 |
A3472 A3473 |
| 5G | FDD-5G NR (n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n66, n70, n71, n75) TDD-5G NR (n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n77, n78, n79) | FDD-5G NR (n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n66, n70, n71, n75) TDD-5G NR (n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n77, n78, n79) 5G NR mmWave (n258, n260, n261) |
| MIMO | 4×4 MIMO compatible 5G (sub-6 GHz) | 4×4 MIMO capable 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) |
Both Japan and US models are equipped with the Apple C2 mobile communication modem.
This confirms that C2 itself has the ability to support 5G millimeter waves. For the US, n258, n260, and n261 are available.
iPhone Duo
| Model for Japan | Model for the US | |
|---|---|---|
| model number | A3719 | A3447 |
| 5G | FDD-5G NR (n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n66, n70, n71, n75) TDD-5G NR (n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n77, n78, n79) | FDD-5G NR (n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n66, n70, n71, n75) TDD-5G NR (n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n77, n78, n79) 5G NR mmWave (n258, n260, n261) |
| MIMO | 4×4 MIMO compatible 5G (sub-6 GHz) | 4×4 MIMO capable 5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave) |
Both the Japanese and US models of the iPhone Duo are equipped with C2, and only the US model supports 5G mmWave.
The same specification difference can be seen not only in the iPhone 18 Pro series but also in the iPhone Duo, so it seems that the compatible communication method has changed for each region.
Will millimeter waves be available in Japan in the future?
Until now, the C2 did not support 5G millimeter waves, and it was expected that models for the United States that require millimeter wave support would be equipped with Qualcomm’s 5G modem.
However, both the iPhone 18 Pro series and iPhone Duo for the US are equipped with C2, but also support 5G millimeter wave n258, n260, and n261.
Therefore, we were able to confirm that at least the C2 mobile communication modem itself is designed to support 5G millimeter waves.
On the other hand, Apple has not provided any specific explanation at this time as to why 5G millimeter waves cannot be used in models for Japan.
If it is disabled in the software, it is expected that it will be enabled in an update when the 5G millimeter wave usage environment expands in Japan in the future.
However, millimeter wave communication requires not only a modem but also a compatible antenna and RF-related parts, so it is currently unknown whether the model for Japan is equipped with these.
In the future, if it is confirmed through teardowns and other tests whether there are any differences in communication-related parts between the US model and the Japanese model, we may be able to see if Japan will be able to handle the issue in the future.
What is the difference from the iPhone17 Pro series?
For reference, the specifications of the C2 mobile communication modem are compared with the iPhone 17 Pro series, which was equipped with a Qualcomm 5G modem, as follows.
| iPhone18 Pro | iPhone17 Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| model number | A3713 A3716 |
A3522 A3525 |
| 5G | FDD-5G NR (n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n66, n70, n71, n75) TDD-5G NR (n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n77, n78, n79) | FDD-5G NR (n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n14, n20, n25, n26, n28, n29, n30, n66, n70, n71, n75) TDD-5G NR (n38, n40, n41, n48, n53, n77, n78, n79) |
| MIMO | 4×4 MIMO compatible 5G (sub-6 GHz) | 4×4 MIMO compatible 5G (sub-6 GHz) |
Source: Apple (1), (2), (3), (4), (5)
Source: iPhone Mania
