The US-based tech manufacturing giant is gearing up for biggest upgrade through its upcoming flagship series iPhone 18 Pro Max. The company is expected to offer satellite connectivity on the upcoming handset. Early media reports suggest that the company is ditching the Qualcomm modem in favour of the company’s in-house developed C2 modem for connectivity. However, a recent report from 9to5Mac claims that the new C2 modem could arrive with support for 5G NR-NTN or “New Radio Non-Terrestrial Networks”. a technology that integrates satellite communication directly with 5G networks.
The report mentions that the addition of the C2 modem could allow the iPhone 18 Pro series to automatically switch to satellite connectivity whenever regular cellular coverage becomes weak or unavailable.
The current satellite features require users to manually point their device toward the sky, whereas the new system is expected to work seamlessly in the background.
The company rolled out the satellite SOS features in the iPhone 14 in 2022 in which users need to manually point their handset toward satellite and follow on-screen guidance to maintain a connection. While the company has expanded its satellite support beyond emergencies, the experience still remains far less seamless than traditional cellular connectivity.
With the integration of 5G-NTN, the iPhone 18 Pro could intelligently and automatically fall back to a satellite connection without requiring users to manually align their devices.
The C2 modem is also likely to support mmWave 5G, which is expected to offer faster peak download speeds and better coverage in dense urban areas, stadiums, and airports. The use of an in-house modem along with a potential 2nm process on the iPhone 18 Pro series is also expected to reduce battery drain and heating issues on the handset.
iPhone 18 Pro Series: features and specifications
The company is likely to feature a 6.3-inch and 6.9-inch ProMotion OLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz, same as last year. The key changes could be a reduction in the size of Dynamic Island, which is expected to shrink by up to 35 per cent.
The iPhone 18 Pro Max is also expected to be packed with a massive 5,200mAh battery, which will be the biggest battery in an iPhone ever. The handset is also likely to be slightly thicker and heavier than its predecessor.
The upcoming devices are expected to be powered by the A20 Pro chipset which could offer up to 15 per cent faster and 30 per cent enhanced power efficiency.
In terms of optics, the upcoming flagship is expected to feature a triple 48MP camera setup on the rear panel, and there could be an addition of a manual aperture system that could let users adjust the amount of light entering the camera. This is expected to bring more natural bokeh blur to photos.
The company is also expected to bring new colours for the iPhone 18 Pro series, replacing cosmic orange as the default shade with a new red colour variant.
Also Read: Will iPhone 18 Pro Carry Apple’s 2026 Lineup As Rumoured iPhone Fold Faces X-Style Delays?
Syed Ziyauddin is a media and international relations enthusiast with a strong academic and professional foundation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from Jamia Millia Islamia and a Master’s in International Relations (West Asia) from the same institution.
He has work with organizations like ANN Media, TV9 Bharatvarsh, NDTV and Centre for Discourse, Fusion, and Analysis (CDFA) his core interest includes Tech, Auto and global affairs.
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