It was already in the air that Apple would continue to differentiate more between standard iPhones and Pro models in the future. With the iPhone 15, this should apparently also affect WLAN support. Corresponding rumors of the last few days about the installation of Wi-Fi 6E in the iPhone have now been underpinned by a fresh leak. This shows the antenna architecture of a new iPhone model and was published by MacRumors.
Wi-Fi 6E not for everyone
There are currently five Apple devices that support the faster WLAN standard, which can finally also use the less congested 6 GHz band. This started with the two current iPad Pro models from 2023, followed by the MacBook Pro with M2 Pro and M2 Max in both sizes and finally the Mac mini from 2023. The latter seems a bit inconsistent because the compact Mac is not a professional for Apple device represents, but is basically pleasing.
With the iPhone 15, which is expected for September 2023, it should now only be the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max – whose name could also be iPhone 15 Ultra – which will receive Wi-Fi 6E. This is also proven by the representation of the antenna architecture, which the well-known leaker @URedditor has uncovered. It is said to be an internal Apple document that was probably intended for manufacturers. It lists the differences between the “D8x” and “D3y” variants. “D8x” is said to be the codename for iPhone 15 Pro variants, “D3y” for the standard iPhone 15. Only the D8x has the necessary antenna infrastructure for Wi-Fi 6E.
Actually atypical
It is surprising that Apple will only reserve the new WLAN standard for the Pro models. In the past, the company had always pushed such changes across its entire product range, which, as mentioned above, is evident in the support provided by the new Mac mini. This is extremely annoying for users because they cannot, for example, switch their WLAN completely to 6 GHz if they want to because they still have devices that do not support 6E – unless they buy the most expensive iPhones.
In addition to the less occupied band, Wi-Fi 6E also offers higher bandwidths and faster connections when waking up a device. In order to use the technology, however, new routers are required. Apple intends to build its own WLAN chips in the future so that it can react more quickly to new developments, a plan that is said to have faltered recently. Broadcom is currently supplying the necessary radio technology.
(bsc)
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