The upcoming iPhone 15 Pros will repportedly use the high-speed Wi-Fi 6E connectivity standard, and non-Pro models will stick to the regular Wi-Fi 6.
If accurate, the iPhone 15 Pro model owners will enjoy faster and more reliable wireless connectivity when using Wi-Fi 6E networks.
Wi-Fi 6E runs on the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands while also using the 6GHz one to boost data transfer speeds, lower latency, improve connection reliability and reduce interference. The 6GHz band is exclusive to Wi-Fi 6E devices.
Wi-Fi 6E could be limited to the iPhone 15 Pros
Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O’Malley recently noted that Wi-Fi 6E could be limited to the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, while the regular iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus should use Wi-Fi 6.
AppleInsider reminds us that documents leaked in January revealed that Wi-Fi 6E support would be coming to the iPhone 15 Pros.
The iPhone 14 family supports Wi-Fi 6 but not Wi-Fi 6E. In other words, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max could be the first iPhones to support Wi-Fi 6E.
Wi-Fi 6E could play an important role in Apple’s future endeavors around its AR/VR headset. Analysts have suspected that the company’s upcoming Vision Pro headset uses Wi-Fi 6E, but this hasn’t yet been confirmed. You can get a Wi-Fi 6E router from well-known brands like Asus, Netgear, TP-Link and others.
Wi-Fi 7 is coming to the iPhone 16 family
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that the iPhone 16 family in 2024 will gain support for the Wi-Fi 7 standard, resulting in optimized integration with the Vision Pro headset.
Wi-Fi 7 will be “more conducive” to the integration of Apple products running on the same local network, Kuo said, while providing “a better ecosystem experience.”
The Wi-Fi Alliance said Wi-Fi 7 is 4.8× faster than Wi-Fi 6 when used with a Wi-Fi 7 router, bringing data transfer speeds of at least 30 gigabits per second.
Using Wi-Fi 6E on Apple devices
The following Apple devices currently support Wi-Fi 6E:
- MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2023)
- MacBook Pro (16-inch, 2023)
- Mac mini (2023)
- Mac Studio (2023)
- Mac Pro (2023)
- M2 iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation)\
- M2 iPad Pro 12.9 inch (6th generation)
To enjoy Wi-Fi 6E at your home, you need a dual-band router or access point that supports Wi-Fi 6E and has both 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands enabled. To avoid compatibility problems, you must set the same name for all bands.
For further info on using Wi-Fi 6E with Apple devices, including tips for how to get the best wireless performance, be sure to read Apple’s support document.