At least one iPhone 17 model launching next year will be equipped with an Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip, according to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
All current iPhone models are equipped with a combined Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chip supplied by Broadcom, but Kuo expects Apple to equip "nearly all" of its products with its own in-house Wi-Fi chip "within about three years." The analyst said this move would reduce Apple's component costs and further bolster Apple's hardware and software integration.
All four iPhone 16 models already support Wi-Fi 7 with Broadcom's chip, but with some limited specifications. Kuo said Apple's in-house Wi-Fi chip will support "the latest Wi-Fi 7 spec," but he did not provide any further details. The chip will be manufactured with TSMC's 7nm manufacturing process known as N7, he added.
Kuo has aligned with information shared last year by Jeff Pu, another analyst who covers companies within Apple's supply chain. Pu said the iPhone 17 Pro models would be equipped with an Apple-designed Wi-Fi 7 chip, and he said the in-house chip would expand to the entire iPhone 18 lineup the following year.
Apple is also expected to launch its own 5G chip next year, starting in the next iPhone SE and the rumored ultra-thin iPhone 17 model at a minimum. There have been conflicting rumors about whether the Apple-designed 5G and Wi-Fi chips will be separate chips, or one combined chip with 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS capabilities.
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, if a device supports the maximum specifications.
