Kuo says that iPhone 16 series will support WiFi 7 standard, bringing considerable speed upgrades. Besides a boost in internet speeds, another reason why Kuo believes that Apple will bring WiFi 7 support to iPhone 16 series is tighter integration with its ecosystem, especially Vision Pro.
WiFi 7: More Data Throughput, More Optimized Performance
WiFi 7 or 802.11be is a significant upgrade over the current WiFi 6E standard. The latest WiFi standard supports maximum data throughput speeds much higher than the previous version. As per WiFi Alliance, WiFi 7 brings a maximum data output speed of 40Gbps. This is a four times increase as compared to WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E standards. WiFi 7 will deploy 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz bands similar to the WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E standards but there is one particular area where WiFi 7 shines – Multi-Link Operation. To put it in simple words, WiFi 5, WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E use a single link to transmit data, whereas WiFi 7 will use a new technology called Multi-Link Operation. This new technology allows WiFi 7-supported devices to simultaneously send and receive data across different frequency bands and channels. The biggest benefit of Multi-Link Operation technology is the minimized latency. WiFi Alliance explains that reduced latency from Multi-Link Operation in WiFi 7 will be helpful in fulfilling the ever increasing demand for the internet as data-hungry technologies like augmented reality and virtual reality make their way into future devices. “Additional Wi-Fi 7 enhancements will support reduced latency and jitter for time sensitive networking applications including AR/VR, 4K and 8K video streaming, automotive, cloud computing, gaming and video applications, as well as mission critical and industrial applications,” reads WiFi Alliance’s website. WiFi 7 will also introduce a new feature named Restricted Target Wake Time, (RTWT) which is an upgrade over Target Wake Time, which was rolled out with WiFi 6. Restricted Target Wake Time works by putting aside some bandwidth for a particular kind of data transmission. This will help in optimizing the performance and battery life of WiFi 7-connected devices. However, WiFi 7 support in iPhone 16 does not mean that you will readily start using the new WiFi standard. It will take much more time before WiFi 7-supported routers become affordable for general users.
