Apple denies rumor that C1 is responsible for MagSafe removal on iPhone 16e – 9to5Mac
The new iPhone 16e has a lot going for it, but one surprising shortcoming is its lack of MagSafe support. Some have theorized that Apple’s new C1 modem is the reason, but Apple has just denied that rumor completely.Earlier today, Macworld published a piece on Apple’s new C1 modem which had the following comment on MagSafe’s absence from the iPhone 16e: Sources from the accessories industry have told Macworld that a possible explanation is that the built-in magnets of the MagSafe system apparently interfere with the reliability of Apple’s new C1 5G modem. So it’s possible that Apple had to drop MagSafe in order to ensure the best possible connection for its first-gen 5G modemThis wasn’t the first time I’d heard the theory, and personally I thought it seemed pretty plausible. It could also explain why Apple is not bringing the C1 to its full iPhone 17 lineup, but only the 17 Air which will already come with its share of compromises. I was a bit worried, to be honest, as I’d hate to lose MagSafe on the otherwise-exciting iPhone 17 Air.But fortunately, Apple has already formally denied the rumor. The article now contains the following:Update 11:18am ET: Apple has confirmed to Macworld that the C1 modem is not responsible for the decision to leave MagSafe charging off the new iPhone 16e.This is great news. Though it does still leave MagSafe’s absence as an open question.Perhaps Apple was already struggling to get the iPhone 16e’s cost down, and MagSafe’s removal helps. $599 is already more expensive than many of us expected. Then again, we thought we were getting a new iPhone SE, and that product line has been formally discontinued instead.I’ve enjoyed the speculation about possible technical / engineering-related reasons for MagSafe’s removal, including the theory about it interfering with the C1, but I’m guessing the truth is far more mundane: that Apple removed it to differentiate the base model from the mid-tier model (iPhone 16).They want to make the 16e good enough to justify raising the cost-of-entry into iOS from the previous $429 price point of the SE, but not so good that it hurts sales of the $799 iPhone 16 or $699 iPhone 15. Nothing more, nothing less.I don’t know how much cost savings could be attributed to the MagSafe components, so this still feels like a mystery to me.I also think Apple’s denial leaves open the possibility that the C1 chip is still part of the puzzle. Maybe the iPhone 16e’s internal design, which is based very much on the existing iPhone 14 design, caused some issues between the C1 and MagSafe. Nothing that can’t and won’t be solved ahead of the C1 coming to the iPhone 17 Air—but that nonetheless pushed Apple one direction for this specific phone.What do you think of Apple’s statement about the C1 and MagSafe? Let us know in the comments.FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Check out 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:Ryan got his start in journalism as an Editor at MacStories, where he worked for four years covering Apple news, writing app reviews, and more. For two years he co-hosted the Adapt podcast on Relay FM, which focused entirely on the iPad. As a result, it should come as no surprise that his favorite Apple device is the iPad Pro.
