Intel to Soon Launch Wi-Fi 7 as Apple Transitions iPhones, iPads to Wi-Fi 6E

With Apple on the verge of transitioning iOS devices and Macs to Wi-Fi 6E, Intel is planning to launch its next-generation Wi-Fi 7 technology by 2024, according to a report by ETNews (via MacRumors).

More than twice as fast as Wi-Fi 6E, the upcoming Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be) standard supports data processing speeds of 5.8 Gbps, and up to 36 Gbps when working with data.

The report notes that Intel is looking to expand its Wi-Fi 7 development efforts ahead of its introduction to the market in 2024 and brings its technology first in laptops before expanding to other devices.

#WiFi7 will be more than four times faster than Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E — @pcmag gets into it all with an explainer on the upcoming generation of #WiFi https://t.co/zxTQVvXQpW

— WifiForward (@WifiForward)

July 26, 2022

“Wi-Fi 7 almost doubles the frequency bandwidth of 802.11ax (170 MHz) to 320 MHz and doubles the speed of Wi-Fi,” said Intel VP Eric McLaughlin.

“We are currently developing Intel’s Wi-Fi ‘802.11be’ in order to obtain the ‘Wi-Fi Alliance’ certification, and it will be installed in PC products such as laptops by 2024. We expect it to appear in major markets in 2025.

Since there is more than a year left before the release of 802.11be, there is still a chance that we could improve the processing speed even further.”

Apple was expected to introduce Wi-Fi 6E with the iPhone 13 lineup last year, but that did not happen and the company is yet to release any devices with the latest standard. It is, however, likely to change this year with the iPhone 14.