Kuo: iPhone 15 to Get Next-Gen Ultra Wideband Chip for Enhanced Vision Pro Headset Integration

[MacRumors]

Apple's upcoming iPhone 15 will feature an upgraded Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip to optimize integration with the company's Vision Pro headset, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In his latest Twitter post, Kuo said upgrading the UWB processor, which Apple currently calls the U1 chip, is part of a plan to "aggressively upgrade hardware specifications to build a more competitive ecosystem for Vision Pro." Kuo goes on:

The ecosystem is one of the key success factors for Vision Pro, including the integration with other Apple hardware products, and related main hardware specifications are Wi-Fi and UWB.

iPhone 15 will likely see an specification upgrade of UWB, with the production process moving from 16nm to more advanced 7nm, allowing for improved performance or reduced power consumption for nearby interactions.

First debuting in the iPhone 11, the U1 chip powers several of Apple's location-based features like Find My, Precision Finding, and AirDrop. The U1 chip is also included in Apple Watch Series 6, the HomePod mini, the second-generation HomePod, AirTag trackers, and the charging case for the second-generation AirPods Pro.

Looking further ahead, Kuo says the iPhone 16 will feature support for Wi-Fi 7, "which will be more conducive to Apple's integration of hardware products running on the same local network and provide a better ecosystem experience."

Positioned as the next major generational Wi-Fi technology evolution, Wi-Fi 7 is expected to provide speeds of "at least 30" gigabits per second and could even hit 40Gbps, according to the Wi-Fi Alliance.

Wi-Fi 7 is also able to use 320MHz channels and supports 4K quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) technology, ultimately providing up to 2.4x faster speeds than Wi-Fi 6 with the same number of antennas.

Apple previewed its Vision Pro headset earlier this month at WWDC, but did not reveal all the details of its hardware specifications. The headset is set to launch early next year, and Apple reportedly plans to launch a more affordable model by the end of 2025.

Article Link: Kuo: iPhone 15 to Get Next-Gen Ultra Wideband Chip for Enhanced Vision Pro Headset Integration

 

[djcerla]

Buildings blocks for magic.

 

[k1121j]

Wifi 7!! I don’t even have 6e yet😲

 

[diddl14]

Cool, so when I loose my phone, I can walk trough the city with my vision pro and have 2 hours to find it 😎

 

[Bodhitree]

It makes me wonder what additional features related to the headset that chip will enable…

 

[Joe Mac User]

I think future iPhones (and perhaps even iPads) will be able to take spatial photos and videos for Vision. They showed a user taking them with Vision Pro but I’ll bet that won’t be the only way.

 

[Leon Ze Professional]

Buildings blocks for magic.

Building blocks indeed and Apples famed vertical integration of products. Not sure when WiFi 7 will be released and I can see the ultra wideband chip being a kind of specialised new Apple silicon SOC in the future with these enhancements.

 

[Zerlina]

they can't even launch there own apple modem what makes you think there ready for "wifi 7"

 

[jclardy]

Nice, U1 chip finally gets a use 3 years later in iOS 17 and then immediately gets replaced with a superior counterpart.

 

[neuropsychguy]

they can't even launch there own apple modem what makes you think there ready for "wifi 7"

Apple can’t source the modem from some other company?

 

[NightFox]

So I guess this effectively just added £1000+ to the cost of the Vision Pro, though I suppose prospective buyers would also likely be annual iPhone upgraders anyway.

 

[ThomasJL]

But will it have Touch ID?

Clueless Cook knows that Touch ID is loved on Macs. He knows that many iPhone SE users buy it largely for Touch ID. Yet being as dense as he is, he’s OK with bringing so many new features to the iPhone 15 but not Touch ID.

 

[jezus81]

I think future iPhones (and perhaps even iPads) will be able to take spatial photos and videos for Vision. They showed a user taking them with Vision Pro but I’ll bet that won’t be the only way.

Maybe that‘s the reason why the iPhone 15 is supposed to keep it‘s three-lenses camera array although this model is also supposed to get a new telescopic lens?
So… two lenses for spatial photos and a telescopic lens for regular photos including zoom? Hm…

 

[MrAR]

Maybe that‘s the reason why the iPhone 15 is supposed to keep it‘s three-lenses camera array although this model is also supposed to get a new telescopic lens?
So… two lenses for spatial photos and a telescopic lens for regular photos including zoom? Hm…

Well as I understand it there need to be quite some space between the two lenses in order for a VR (spatial) camera to work. Look at all the VR cameras that already exists. I think the iPhone lenses are too close to each other to create a proper 3D effect.

 

[JitteryJimmy]

Wifi 7!! and don’t even have 6e yet😲

Don't worry. I just upgraded to 802.11ac within the last year, and only because I moved and was installing ceiling access points. My 2nd gen Airport Express N served me very, very well.

 

[JitteryJimmy]

So I guess this effectively just added £1000+ to the cost of the Vision Pro, though I suppose prospective buyers would also likely be annual iPhone upgraders anyway.

Or to look it from a completely different perspective, the Vision Pro project and price tag has funded the development of new iPhone hardware that would never have been created.

 

[Mr. Dee]

Wow! Vision Pro already making iPhone 14 and older obsolete.

 

[cmcbhi]

Why should those of us who will not get the headset have to pay for a chip in an iPhone that we will ever use?

 

[Longplays]

I can hear the linaty of complaints that their Android, Windows PC and original 2007 iPhone cannot be used with the Vision Pro as well as the iPhone 15 or newer with the newer tech.

"I demand my 2008 Mac work stellarly with this 2023 Vision Pro M3!"

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

It makes me wonder what additional features related to the headset that chip will enable…

Time travel.

Takes you to a place in the future where you are three and a half grand poorer.

 

[Spooner83]

Cool, but I just want action mode in 4K on the pro models.

 

[krspkbl]

WiFi 7?

I thought most people were on 5 and 6 still? lol. 6E is only a small step up from 6.

It's good that they are preparing for future tech but seems a bit far off.

EDIT: i should read the article properly first lol. It's not until iPhone 16 so that means Pro/Max iPhones next year will get WiFi 7 and the rest will get it in 2025.

Seems reasonable.

 

[k1121j]

Don't worry. I just upgraded to 802.11ac within the last year, and only because I moved and was installing ceiling access points. My 2nd gen Airport Express N served me very, very well.

I just feel devices are way behind and AP’s are way ahead. I would think it would be the other way around seeing how you can't change the wifi in most devices these days.

 

[mdatwood]

I think future iPhones (and perhaps even iPads) will be able to take spatial photos and videos for Vision. They showed a user taking them with Vision Pro but I’ll bet that won’t be the only way.

Agree. A telescope camera, plus cameras already there, plus LIDAR, seems like enough to do depth with some computation.

 

[krspkbl]

I'm "still" on a WiFi 6 router. Not the fancy 6E one. Just a boring standard 6.

I honestly don't know how I could push my router any further and I don't see how a 6E router would help me.