Apple’s newly unveiled 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros feature another exciting upgrade besides the brand new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips. The laptops support Wi-Fi 6E connectivity, the latest Wi-Fi standard that supports an additional wireless band and boosts internet speeds. According to a recent analysis from Barclays, the iPhone 15 series should also support Wi-Fi 6E.
This isn’t the first time we have seen reports indicating Wi-Fi 6E would come to the iPhone. It happened with the iPhone 14 more than a year ago, but the handset never got the functionality.
However, the iPhone 15 Wi-FI 6E upgrade makes more sense this year, as Apple is readying the launch of its first-gen mixed-reality headset. Apple’s AR/VR headset should support Wi-Fi 6E, and the wireless standard might be a key component in Apple’s ecosystem.
While Apple is yet to explain how the mixed reality headset would work, Wi-Fi should play a big part in the whole experience. It’s not just about connecting to the internet to enjoy VR apps. It’s also about beaming data to the Mac, iPhone, and iPad and back over Wi-Fi. Or a custom wireless data transfer standard that might employ Wi-Fi 6E.
Speculation aside, there’s no way to confirm this iPhone 15 upgrade, no matter how much sense Wi-Fi 6E support makes. But Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O’Malley believe the 2023 iPhones will get faster Wi-Fi. However, the analysts did not specify which iPhone 15 models will support Wi-Fi 6E. After all, the iPhone 14 brought a new strategy for selling iPhones.
Apple is differentiating the non-Pro models and the Pros more than ever. The iPhone 15 might escalate that, as the iPhone 15 Pro Max (Ultra) will offer additional perks compared to the iPhone 15 Pro.
Aside from the 2023 Mac mini that Apple recently unveiled, only Pro products support the Wi-Fi 6E standard. They were launched recently, including the 11-inch and 12.9-inch 2022 iPad Pros and the 14-inch and 16-inch 2023 MacBook Pros.
That’s another reason to support the idea that the iPhone 15 will be the first series to feature Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. That’s because eventually, all Apple products should support Wi-Fi 6E.
That said, Wi-Fi 6E support isn’t enough to get faster internet and lower latency and signal interference. You also need a critical device at home or office, a relatively new router that supports Wi-FI 6E.
Finally, Apple customers who own Wi-Fi 6E hardware, including one of the new iPads and MacBooks, should check out this support document that explains how to correctly configure Wi-Fi 6E routers to take advantage of the new Wi-Fi standard.
