Apple will use its personal custom-designed Wi-Fi chip in all upcoming iPhone 17 fashions, based on trade analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Writing in a put up on X (Twitter), Kuo mentioned the swap to in-house Wi-Fi chips will “improve connectivity throughout Apple gadgets” whereas additionally giving Apple a price discount.
All present iPhone fashions are geared up with a mixed Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip equipped by Broadcom, however Kuo has beforehand mentioned he expects Apple to equip “practically all” of its merchandise with its personal in-house Wi-Fi chip “inside about three years.”
Kuo in October predicted that at the very least one iPhone 17 mannequin launching subsequent 12 months will likely be geared up with an Apple-designed Wi-Fi chip. Within the earlier report, Kuo mentioned Apple’s chip would assist “the most recent Wi-Fi 7 spec,” however he didn’t present any additional particulars, and his newest put up doesn’t point out a Wi-Fi model quantity.
All 4 iPhone 16 fashions already assist Wi-Fi 7 with Broadcom’s chip, however they’ve some restricted specs.
Jeff Pu, one other analyst who covers firms inside Apple’s provide chain, mentioned in November 2024 that solely the iPhone 17 Professional fashions will likely be geared up with an Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip, however Apple’s plans might have modified since then.
With Wi-Fi 7 assist, iPhone 17 fashions may leverage the two.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands concurrently when paired with a suitable router, enhancing information switch speeds, decreasing latency, and enhancing general connection stability. Qualcomm states that Wi-Fi 7 can obtain peak speeds exceeding 40 Gbps, making it as much as 4 instances sooner than Wi-Fi 6E.
Apple’s Wi-Fi chip is distinct from the C1 modem chip that Apple debuted within the iPhone 16e on Wednesday. Nevertheless, it’s believed that Apple needs to mix these right into a single part. Finally, the objective is to create a wi-fi setup the place the elements are tightly built-in and extra vitality environment friendly, permitting Apple to chop down on the battery use of mobile, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth applied sciences.
