According to the latest rumors, it is stated that it is more than likely that The iPhone 15 will be compatible with Wi-Fi 6E when it launches later this year, which would give (at least some of this year’s iPhones, most likely the Pros) access to a whole new frequency band. And that’s great news.
If the rumors were confirmed, it would mean a Increased transmission and reception capacity, reduced interference and better video transmission performance. Significant features given the multimedia use that can be made of the iPhone on a daily basis (and even more so with Wi-Fi connectivity, probably at home).
Support for Wi-Fi 6E on the iPhone 15
As far as we have been able to inform ourselves, MacRumors has had access to a research note from Barclays which suggests that Apple will integrate support for the new standard into the upcoming iPhone 15. Although it says so, it doesn’t specify whether it’s the whole range or just the two Pro models.
Apple has already introduced the Wi-Fi 6E standard in the latest iPad Pro models, in the 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro and in the new Mac mini presented this month of January.
Confusing name of the new Wi-Fi 6E standard
As is often the case with technical standards, the nomenclature of the new Wi-Fi standard is quite confusing. Originally, Wi-Fi only worked on the 2.4 GHz band. This band offers limited data rates and is for example subject to microwave interference.
The first big step was to add access to the 5Ghz band (which almost all of which we may have already encountered on our routers at home). This provides significantly higher capacity, less susceptibility to interference, reduced latency and higher speeds compared to a shorter distance to the connection point. The most recent change was the addition of the 6 GHz band to standard.
You would think that Wi-Fi 6 compatible devices would give access to 6GHz Wi-Fi, but it doesn’t work like that, it would be too logical for a technical standard. Access to 6 Ghz spectrum requires support for Wi-Fi 6 Enhanced, better known as Wi-Fi 6E which would integrate the iPhone 15.
Benefits of Wi-Fi 6E
The 6Ghz spectrum offers a number of advantages over the 5Ghz spectrum. First, it offers much more capacity. This means less congestion in cities and allows for wider channels, providing better connections for video streaming and virtual reality. Wi-Fi 6E quadruples the capacity, providing 14 additional 80 MHz channels and seven new 160 MHz channels.
Secondly, there is no interference with anything else as the 6 GHz band is reserved exclusively for Wi-Fi.
Third, the channels can be wider (speaking in the frequency spectrum), which means a Higher bandwidth for video streaming and other data-intensive applicationslike virtual reality. Speeds can exceed 1 GB and latency can be less than a millisecond.
Disadvantages of Wi-Fi 6E
But unfortunately, not all is good news about 6Ghz. In the first place, you probably need a new router to enjoy. Very few current wireless routers support Wi-Fi 6E, so you’ll likely need to upgrade to a new one.
Secondly, Wi-Fi 6E has a shorter range than older Wi-Fi 6, and it is also easier to block by physical structures (for example by the walls of our houses, in the same way that happens with the change between the 2.4 network and the 5Ghz network). So if you live in a house with thick walls, performance may be affected. 6E Wi-Fi coverage may also not extend as far outside the home, into backyards and gardens.
However, in practice this is not a big problem, since the coverage is reduced to the 5 GHz range.
As always, the integration of new technologies is great news for iPhones, but always we must take into account when we can enjoy it and when it is not in our daily life to be able to squeeze our devices to the maximum.
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