All four iPhone 17 models will feature an Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip, according to Jeff Pu, an analyst who covers companies within Apple's supply chain.
In a research note with investment firm GF Securities today, Pu said he believes that the Wi-Fi 7 chip's design was finalized in the first half of 2024. He expects the chip to debut in the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max later this year.
The entire iPhone 16 lineup already supports Wi-Fi 7, so the spec is not much of a surprise, but the fact that the chip will be designed by Apple is notable. Last month, Apple debuted its custom-designed C1 modem in the iPhone 16e, for cellular connectivity like 5G and LTE, and now the company is expected to make its own Wi-Fi chips too. By designing more of its own chips, Apple can reduce and eventually eliminate its reliance on external suppliers, including Qualcomm for modems and Broadcom for Wi-Fi chips.
Apple's plan to use its own Wi-Fi chip in iPhone 17 models this year was also mentioned by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Wi-Fi 7 allows for data transmission over the 2.4GHz, 5GHz, and 6GHz bands simultaneously, with a supported router, resulting in faster Wi-Fi speeds, lower latency, and more reliable connectivity. Wi-Fi 7 can provide peak speeds of over 40 Gbps, a 4× increase over Wi-Fi 6E, provided a device supports the maximum specifications.
All four iPhone 17 models should launch in around six months from now.
