The new iPhone Air, iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max have a new Apple-designed chip inside, the N1.
The N1 is a networking chip. It supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Because Apple was able to create the chip to integrate with other hardware and software in the iPhone, it's more efficient and it offers improved reliability.
According to Apple, the N1 chip improves the performance and reliability of features like Personal Hotspot and AirDrop. The N1 will replace networking chips that Apple previously sourced from suppliers like Broadcom.
The iPhone 16 models supported Wi-Fi 7 already so that's not new, but Bluetooth 6 is an upgrade over the previous Bluetooth 5.3 support. Bluetooth 6 brings less interference in crowded areas for improved reliability, lower latency, updated wake and sleep cycles for longer battery life, better multi-stream audio support for spatial audio and other features, and improved hearing aid support.
Thread was also a feature in the prior-generation iPhone 16 models, but for those unfamiliar, a Thread radio allows the iPhone 17 models to directly control Thread-enabled smart home products.
With the N1 and other optimizations, the iPhone 17 models have some of the longest battery life in any iPhone to date. The iPhone 17 Pro lasts for up to 39 hours when watching videos, for example.
