According to Ookla’s latest Speedtest Intelligence analysis, Apple’s in-house N1 networking chip—integrating Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread radios across the iPhone 17 lineup — provides a substantial real-world Wi-Fi performance upgrade over the Broadcom solution in the iPhone 16 series. The report highlights up to 40% higher global median download and upload speeds for the iPhone 17 family, with median downloads reaching 329.56 Mbps compared to 236.46 Mbps on the iPhone 16. This edge is especially pronounced in challenging conditions, where the N1 delivers over 60% faster speeds at the 10th percentile, enhancing reliability for features like AirDrop and Personal Hotspot despite its 160 MHz channel limitation versus competitors’ 320 MHz support.
Andrew Liszewski for The Verge:
On paper, the N1 chip’s Wi-Fi capabilities appear “virtually identical to its Broadcom-based predecessor” in the iPhone 16, according to Ookla. The N1 is also limited to 160MHz channels and doesn’t take full advantage of Wi-Fi 7’s faster 320MHz channels, but for real world users that limitation didn’t have a significant impact.
The iPhone 17 family outperformed flagship Android devices like the Pixel 10 family and the Galaxy S25 family in North America, where Wi-Fi 7 devices can use up to three 320 MHz channels, and the N1 should be at a disadvantage. The iPhone 17 family had the highest median and 90th percentile Wi-Fi download speeds of 416.14 Mbps and 976.39 Mbps, respectively. That could change as the number of 320MHz-capable Wi-Fi 7 routers increases in North America, but it reinforces the findings that the N1 can “deliver more consistent performance in non-ideal Wi-Fi conditions.
MacDailyNews Take: Apple Silicon superiority proven yet again. Want markedly slower Wi-Fi? Handicap yourself with a fake iPhone.
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