Apple launched the iPhone 16 lineup with a plethora of upgrades not only on the outside but in terms of internals as well. While the processor and RAM have been upgraded, the company made sure that the devices do not get left behind when it comes to connectivity. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models came with WiFi 7 technology for faster download and upload speeds, but based on recent testing, the devices struggle with performance.
iPhone 16 WiFi 7 performance is not at all impressive as it does not utilize the full 320 MHz channel width
Apple promised up to five times better speeds than last year's WiFi 6E technology in the iPhone 15 models. Theoretically, the WiFi speeds jumped from 2.4 Gbps to 5.8 Gbps, but the performance gains should have been more pronounced in real-world usage. In the latest testing by Les Numeriques, it can be seen that the iPhone 16 models failed to deliver in terms of speed despite the WiFi 7 upgrade.
The test was conducted using a TP-Link Deco BE85 mesh WiFi system, which revealed that the WiFi 7 performance on the iPhone 16 models is subpar. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Plus models were connected to a robust 6 GHz frequency band and a 10 Gbps network, but the results showed that the devices struggled to cross 1.6 to 1.7 Gbps. The publication noted that the results were more or less the same as the tests conducted with the iPhone 15 Pro Max last year, which featured WiFi 6E instead of WiFi 7.
Further investigation revealed that Apple has capped the potential of the WiFi 7. The devices should use the full 320 MHz channel width which is compatible with WiFi 7, but the devices have been capped at 160 MHz. This means that the true performance potential of the iPhone 16 models has been reduced by half. Apple's diagnostic tool confirmed that the WiFi 7 in the iPhone 16 is only taking advantage of the narrower frequency bands, even though it supports the 802.11be standard.
The Europe WiFi 7 is limited to just one 320 MHz band, and in comparison, the United States has three, which goes on to show that the capabilities of the new connectivity upgrade might not be available in all regions. Additionally, it remains to be seen if the company will release a software update to fix the limitations or if it is a restriction imposed by the hardware. Apple does not highlight any changes of the sort in its official documents as well, and users on Reddit have also reported the same issue.
It remains to be seen how the company will tackle the situation. The iPhone 16 upgrade is quite major in terms of front-facing changes, most of which have happened on the inside, but the company needs to clarify the poor representation of the new features.
About the author: Ali Salman is a technology reporter for Wccftech mobile section with a specialized focus on Apple and the intellectual property that drives mobile innovation. He has cultivated a unique expertise in analyzing and deconstructing complex technology patents, translating dense legal and technical documents into clear, insightful reports on future products.
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