According to a report by arstechnica, the developer of the SpeedTest application, Ookla, recently tested Apple’s latest self-developed Wi-Fi chip, the Apple N1, which is featured in the new iPhone 17 series. The results showed that its actual performance has improved by approximately 40% compared to the Broadcom Wi-Fi chip used in the iPhone 16 series.
The Apple N1 chip supports Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be), Wi-Fi 6, and the Thread smart home communication protocol, replacing the wireless chips that were primarily provided by Broadcom. Apple claims that the N1 will enhance the connection stability of local communication features such as AirPlay and AirDrop, although it did not specify its performance metrics.
According to Ookla’s analysis, data from user tests conducted over approximately five weeks across multiple regions indicate that the iPhone 17 series equipped with the N1 chip outperforms the iPhone 16 series with the Broadcom Wi-Fi chip in both download and upload speeds. Specifically, the median download speed of the iPhone 17 series is 329.56 Mbps, a significant increase of 39% compared to the iPhone 16 series’ 236.46 Mbps; the upload speed also rose from 73.68 Mbps to 103.26 Mbps, marking a 40% increase.
Although the performance of the N1 chip did not top the global Wi-Fi network chip performance rankings, Ookla noted that the N1 performed particularly well in the bottom 10th percentile of performance tests, indicating a significant improvement in stability for Apple’s proprietary chip. Meanwhile, the Google Pixel 10 Pro series slightly surpassed the iPhone 17 in download speed, while the Xiaomi 15T Pro, equipped with a MediaTek Wi-Fi chip, performed better in upload speed.
Additionally, Android phones typically adopt new technologies more quickly, and devices supporting 6GHz Wi-Fi 7 and 320MHz channel widths can, in some cases, outperform the iPhone 17. Although the N1 chip does not support these cutting-edge technologies, it is unlikely to significantly impact the actual usage for most users.
It is worth noting that Ookla’s data analysis could not control for the distance between users and Wi-Fi routers, the types of routers used, or the upload and download speeds set by ISPs. To reduce outliers, Ookla only published the median data for the tracked phones and combined data from the same product series.
Since the introduction of the N1 in the iPhone 17 series, Apple has also launched the new Apple M5 iPad Pro equipped with the N1 chip, although this chip was not included in the simultaneously released M5 MacBook Pro. The N1’s support for Thread makes it an ideal choice for Apple’s smart home and related devices (such as the HomePod speaker or Apple TV streaming box), and future hardware updates are expected to include the N1 chip.
Editor: Lin Zi, Chip Intelligence
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