Speedtest.net’s owner Ookla has published a new report detailing Wi-Fi performance of iPhone 17. The data shows that Apple’s N1 chipset is a substantial upgrade.
“The iPhone 17 family delivers a clear step-change in Wi-Fi performance vs. the Broadcom-based iPhone 16 lineup, with faster download and upload speeds across every region,” according to Ookla. “Globally, median download and upload speeds on the N1 were each up to 40% higher than on its predecessor.
Analysis of Speedtest Intelligence data shows that, despite the similar headline specifications between the Broadcom-based iPhone 16 family and the N1-powered iPhone 17, the 17 delivers a clear step-change in real-world Wi-Fi performance. New devices often appear to outperform in their early weeks, partly because early adopters skew toward wealthier markets with more capable Wi-Fi networks. However, the consistency and magnitude of the iPhone 17’s lead indicate this is not a launch-period skew but a genuine improvement, according to Ookla.
From the report: The arrival of the N1 marks the next ambitious step in Apple’s multi-year plan to bring the last major piece of the iPhone’s wireless stack in-house. By moving off Broadcom-supplied parts, Apple gains tighter control over mission-critical silicon, reduces supplier dependence and pricing exposure and creates a reusable radio platform that can scale across iPhone, Mac, iPad, Watch and Home devices.
Technically, the N1 is a single-die chip that integrates Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread radios. Aside from the step up from Bluetooth 5.3 to 6 and Apple’s claim that tighter hardware-software integration improves features like AirDrop and Personal Hotspot, the N1’s Wi-Fi capabilities appear, on paper, virtually identical to its Broadcom-based predecessor.
This continuity in Wi-Fi specifications is notable because it means the N1 is capped at 160 MHz channels and lacks support for 320 MHz operation and thus the peak link rates (or PHY speeds) available with flagship silicon from vendors such as Qualcomm and MediaTek.
In practical terms, this should limit the N1’s peak performance in markets that allow the full 6 GHz band, like the US, which offers up to three non-overlapping 320 MHz channels. It should also limit performance (although potentially to a lesser degree) in regions that allow only the lower 6 GHz block, like the EU and UK, which offer just one non-overlapping 320 MHz channel.
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Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today