Apple will reportedly expand the use of custom chips in its future devices. This will start with the upcoming iPhone 17 Air using its in-house modem.
The M5 MacBook Air will allegedly then follow, using a new in-house wireless chip, likely combining Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality into one.
iPhone 17 Air and iPhone 17e to use Apple-supplied modem
Apple’s custom wireless chip ambitions took a big leap forward with the launch of the iPhone 16e earlier this year. The phone uses Apple’s custom C1 modem. While it misses out on faster 5G mmWave connectivity, it is the most power-efficient modem ever in an iPhone, delivering a significant boost to battery life.
Internal code, which Apple seems to have accidentally shared, now provides more insight into its custom chip ambitions. It will use its in-house modem on the upcoming iPhone 17 Air and next year’s iPhone 16e.
However, it’s unclear whether it will feature the iPhone 16e’s C1 modem or a newer variant with mmWave support. Still, the power-efficient nature of the chip should bode well for the iPhone 17 Air’s runtime.
Next-gen MacBook Air to get Apple’s custom wireless chip
Apple will not just limit itself to iPhone modems. It will also reportedly use its custom wireless chip on the M5 MacBook Air.
While not mentioned in today’s leak, a popular Apple analyst previously predicted that the chip could debut on the iPhone 17 first. The unified Wi-Fi and Bluetooth module will seemingly help “enhance connectivity across Apple devices.”
Apple currently sources Bluetooth and Wi-Fi modules from Broadcom for its devices, though Apple has long worked to make these itself.
If not the next-gen iPhones, Apple will use its in-house Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip on the M5 MacBook Air. The slim laptop should debut in H2 or H3, 2026. Besides Wi-Fi 7 support, it may bring other notable efficiency improvements, thanks to the deeper hardware and software integration.
