Apple is currently in the grip of a huge leak from one of its Indian manufacturers. Among the more than 630 GB of files stolen from Tata in a cyberattack, hackers gained access to leaked documentation regarding Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max phones. One of the most interesting pieces of information, if the data still reflects Apple’s current plans, is that the company will use a Qualcomm 5G modem in the United States, while the rest of the world will receive its new C2 chip.
A few years ago, Apple announced its first efforts to design its own 5G modem. The first iteration was called C1 and was available with the iPhone 16e. According to the company, this chip was considered the “most power-efficient modem ever in an iPhone” while providing “fast and reliable 5G cellular connectivity.” Even though tests showed Qualcomm’s chips to be much faster, Apple touted that the internal design, combined with iOS’s advanced power management, was responsible for the improved battery life.
Before this version, Bloomberg reported that Apple wanted to continue developing its own 5G modems, until all iPhone models had them. At the end of 2025, with the iPhone 17 series, Apple expanded its offering by adding the C1X to the iPhone Air, and at the beginning of 2026 to the iPhone 17e. With the iPhone 18 around the corner, rumors expected all devices to feature the C2 chip.
Advantages and disadvantages of the American iPhone 18 Pro
If this leak turns out to be accurate, some American customers might be happy to keep Qualcomm’s chip, while others would have preferred the transition. After all, iPhone Pro models in the US feature mmWave 5G connectivity, which enables high-bandwidth, low-latency data transmission. However, mmWave never expanded overseas and even in the US it remains limited to Verizon. That said, only a handful of customers can experience true 5G speeds, meaning keeping Qualcomm’s chip in America only benefits some iPhone users.
While Apple will continue to work to bring the same features to its iPhones in the future, the new C2 chip in the overseas iPhone 18 Pro actually brings far more benefits than problems. For example, the updated C1X chip delivers twice as fast 5G speeds while using 30% less power overall. Additionally, Apple added a feature with iOS 26 that allows iPhone users to hide their location from carriers as long as they have an Apple device with its own 5G chip. Although this is limited to a few carriers, it means they cannot see your exact location. Instead of knowing the exact street, they would only have an idea of the neighborhood. However, by choosing not to share your precise location with carriers, it would not impact how users enjoy the Find My app, share their location in third-party apps, etc.
Should US customers buy an iPhone 18 Pro elsewhere?
We’re still a few months away from the release of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Fold, but the leaked information also shows that Apple is updating the iPhone 18 Pro’s camera sensor and updating the A20 Pro with a new manufacturing process. All of this could make the iPhone even faster while still maintaining great power efficiency. For U.S. customers, while a custom 5G modem could provide even more benefits in the near future, going abroad is unlikely to be a wiser choice, even if they’re not a Verizon member.
After all, with the recent price hike of Apple products, the company has already raised prices globally and iPhones have been hit in several European markets. With further price hikes expected for the iPhone 18 Pro release in September, this could mean that buying these phones elsewhere could become much more expensive, although they could end up having some advantages. That said, U.S. customers will likely have to wait for another generation of Apple’s custom 5G modems to benefit from everything from the best 5G technology to improved power efficiency and other features related to hardware and software integration.
