Apple's Latest Macs Don't Support Wi-Fi 7, But That Shouldn't Be a Deal Breaker

Apple didn't include Wi-Fi 7 support with its latest iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro models with M4 series chips, sticking instead with the Wi-Fi 6E protocol. For most people though, this shouldn't be a major concern when considering a new Mac purchase in late 2024.

Wi-Fi 7, also known as IEEE 802.11be, promises theoretical speeds up to four times faster than its predecessor, as well as reduced latency and improved handling of multiple device connections. Its standout feature is Multi-Link Operation (MLO), which can combine several frequencies across different bands into a single connection for potentially better performance and stability.

That said, the current reality of Wi-Fi 7 adoption makes its absence in Apple's new Macs less significant. Yes, the iPhone 16 series includes Wi-Fi 7 support, but Apple has limited its implementation to the 160MHz bandwidth instead of the full 320MHz that the standard allows. In other words, iPhone 16 models aren't taking full advantage of Wi-Fi 7's potential speed improvements.

More importantly, Wi-Fi 7 requires both compatible networking equipment and devices to deliver its benefits. Manufacturers such as TP-Link, Asus, Netgear, and Eero have introduced Wi-Fi 7 routers and mesh systems to the market. For instance, TP-Link's Archer BE900 and Deco BE95, Asus’s RT-BE96U, Netgear's Nighthawk RS700S, and Eero's Max 7 are among the models now accessible to consumers.

Despite the Wi-Fi Alliance recently launching its "Wi-Fi 7 Certified" program, consumer adoption is still in its early stages, and Wi-Fi 7 routers like those mentioned above remain relatively scarce and expensive, offering limited practical advantages for most home users currently running Wi-Fi 6 or 6E networks.

The existing Wi-Fi 6E support in M4 Macs already provides access to the less congested 6GHz band, offering solid performance for current networking needs. Granted, Wi-Fi 7 could have provided some future-proofing for Mac buyers, but its practical benefits won't be widely accessible for some time.

In sum, for most Mac users, the absence of Wi-Fi 7 shouldn't be a deciding factor when considering an M4 Mac purchase. The technology remains in its early stages, and Wi-Fi 6E continues to offer robust performance for typical computing tasks, including video conferencing, cloud gaming, and high-resolution streaming.