Apple’s Custom Wi-fi Chip Gives The Iphone 17 A Notable Boost, According To Speed Tests

Ookla has recovered that Apple’s civilization N1 networking chip that integrates nan Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread radios successful nan iPhone 17 family “delivers a clear step-change successful real-world Wi-Fi performance” erstwhile compared to nan Broadcom spot utilized successful nan iPhone 16 models. In North America, nan iPhone 17 family besides outperformed flagship Android phones erstwhile it came to Wi-Fi download speeds during nan aforesaid clip period.

On paper, nan N1 chip’s Wi-Fi capabilities look “virtually identical to its Broadcom-based predecessor” successful nan iPhone 16, according to Ookla. The N1 is besides constricted to 160MHz channels and doesn’t return afloat advantage of Wi-Fi 7’s faster 320MHz channels, but for existent world users that limitation didn’t person a important impact.

Using Speedtest Intelligence information gathered during nan six-week play aft Apple’s latest smartphones were released, Ookla recovered that nan median download and upload speeds of nan iPhone 17 family were some up to 40 percent higher than nan iPhone 16 family astir nan world. The N1’s 10th-percentile speeds were moreover faster astatine 60 percent higher than nan iPhone 16, implying nan caller chip’s capacity improvements are moreover much noticeable successful “challenging Wi-Fi conditions.”

The iPhone 17 family outperformed flagship Android devices for illustration nan Pixel 10 family and nan Galaxy S25 family successful North America, wherever Wi-Fi 7 devices tin usage up to 3 320 MHz channels, and nan N1 should beryllium astatine a disadvantage. The iPhone 17 family had nan highest median and 90th percentile Wi-Fi download speeds of 416.14 Mbps and 976.39 Mbps, respectively. That could alteration arsenic nan number of 320MHz-capable Wi-Fi 7 routers increases successful North America, but it reinforces nan findings that nan N1 tin “deliver much accordant capacity successful non-ideal Wi-Fi conditions.”