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While we're still many months away from the next-generation "iPhone 13" lineup, Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis, Thomas O'Malley, Tim Long, and their associates have outlined a few expectations for the devices based on discussions with multiple Apple suppliers.

iphone-12-pro-video-colors.jpg

First and foremost, the analysts said iPhone 13 models may support Wi-Fi 6E, providing an opportunity for radio-frequency chipmaker Skyworks.

Wi-Fi 6E offers the features and capabilities of Wi-Fi 6, including higher performance, lower latency, and faster data rates, extended into the 6 GHz band. The additional spectrum will provide a lot more airspace beyond existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi, resulting in increased bandwidth and less interference for devices that support Wi-Fi 6E.

"The 6 GHz band will perhaps be the most disruptive boon for Wi-Fi users in the last 20 years," said Vijay Nagarajan, an executive at chipmaker Broadcom, in January. "This swath of spectrum, when coupled with Wi-Fi, will power new consumer experiences on smartphones, AR/VR devices and wearables we haven't even yet invented."

"Wi-Fi 6's growth into the 6 GHz spectrum is a game changer for two reasons – the availability of the additional channels and the ability to finally use 160Mhz for high bandwidth applications like AR and VR," said Cisco executive Jayanthi Srinivasan.

Earlier this year, the FCC adopted rules that make 1,200 MHz of spectrum in the 6 GHz band available for unlicensed use in the United States, paving the way for the introduction of devices supporting Wi-Fi 6E.

Both the iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 lineups support the standard, non-6 GHz version of Wi-Fi 6, as does the second-generation iPhone SE.

The analysts also indicated that audio chipmaker Cirrus Logic will supply a new power conversion chip for at least some iPhone 13 models, although it is unclear if this move would have any obvious consumer-facing benefit.

As for the iPhone SE, the analysts believe Apple has no plans to refresh the device in the foreseeable future. The analysts said that while they had heard about a potential larger-screen iPhone SE, rumored to feature a 5.5-inch or 6.1-inch display, the device was not mentioned in any of their discussions with Apple suppliers. In April, well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the larger iPhone SE was delayed until the second half of 2021.

Barclays analysts were the first to claim that Apple was planning to stop including a charger with iPhones. In the past, they also accurately revealed True Tone coming to the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, the removal of the headphone jack adapter with iPhone XS and iPhone XR models, and the removal of 3D Touch on all iPhone 11 models.

Article Link: iPhone 13 Lineup May Support Game-Changing Wi-Fi 6E, Larger iPhone SE Unlikely in Early 2021
 
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nepalisherpa

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I doubt Wifi 6E would make the experience any better. Wifi is already fast enough for a mobile device!

Edit: I want to add that speed is not the only factor I was thinking. Even with all the features, it sure won't be a "game changer" enough to upgrade.
 
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BWhaler

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Jan 8, 2003
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are there any routers for 6e?

6 is till nascent in the market. This seems like stupid and wild speculation.
 
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Eorlas

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Feb 10, 2010
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are there any routers for 6e?

6 is till nascent in the market. This seems like stupid and wild speculation.
first one is due for imminent launch. good luck nailing it down when considering how asus announces product releases.

otherwise, this comment seems like stupid and wild questioning (that could have been easily resolved with a google search)
 

nepalisherpa

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if your only perspective on this is about speed, take a trip around google for a bit before commenting further
Yes, I know it is not all about the speed. Even with all the other benefits, I doubt the mobile experience will be any better. I have a Wifi 6 router right now but I have not seen any improvement.
 
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subi257

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Sep 13, 2018
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Yes, I know it is not all about the speed. Even with all the other benefits, I doubt the mobile experience will be any better. I have a Wifi 6 router right now but I have not seen any improvement.
Okay, so you have a WiFi6 router, but are any of your devices WiFi6 capable? if not, then correct, you won't see any difference.
 
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edwrap

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Nov 7, 2012
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It's my understanding that 6 GHz will penetrate through walls and other obstructions even worse than 5 GHz (which was already worse than 2.4 GHz), And will be able to utilize less transmission power (18 dBm vs 30 dBm, according to a Google search), so be prepared to need more routers and access points if you actually want to make use of this. I'm sure mesh router manufacturers are salivating.
 

nwcs

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Every minor technological improvement is a “game changer” these days. And I find it amusing that the naming of WiFi to be easier to understand by giving it numbers has already been broken by having 6E instead of calling it 7. So there will probably be WiFi 6Ex, WiFi 6s, and who knows what else?
 
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