Whether you’re planning to buy the iPhone or iPad, make sure the next device has Apple’s N1 wireless chip inside it, and here’s why.
New Study Gives Everyone a Reason to Buy an iPhone or iPad with Apple’s N1 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Chip Inside it
Apple dipped its toes into the world of wireless networking with the C1 modem in the iPhone 16e. Eventually, it debuted the N1 chip, which handles Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity on new iPhones and iPads.
While Wi-Fi may not be on the top of your list of things to consider when buying an iPhone or iPad, do keep in mind that it is the gateway to accessing the internet on your device. If it’s not future-proof or reliable, then you will not get the most out of your fast internet connection at home or a crowded mall.
According to a study published by Ookla, they compared the latest iPhone 17 and iPhone Air with the iPhone 16 lineup to see which one does better. The new iPhones have the N1 chip, while the iPhone 16 lineup makes use of Wi-Fi chips from Broadcom.
Without getting too technical, there are two important things worth noting from the study:
- iPhone 17 and iPhone Air with N1 offers faster average Wi-Fi speeds compared to iPhone 16. Up to 40% faster average download and upload speeds.
- iPhone 17 and iPhone Air with N1 performs way better in poor Wi-Fi environments.
The second one is important because it goes to show that N1 performs better in environments where other chips would struggle to keep up.
As someone who is currently using the iPhone Air, I have noticed how much reliable the N1 chip is in daily use. Things like AirDrop, Wireless CarPlay, Handoff, Personal Hotspot, and other services by Apple never fail.
Currently, only the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, and the new M5 iPad Pro have the N1 chip. It only makes sense that going forward Apple will upgrade other devices in the lineup with the N1.
You should care about Wi-Fi in your iPhone and iPad. There’s no point in having Wi-Fi around that struggles to keep up in the worst-possible scenario, because that’s exactly when you want your device to shine the most, and surprisingly, N1 doesn’t break a sweat, and it’s backed up by a study that involves data from the real world too.
