Samsung has always been the first Android OEM to release the latest version of Wi-Fi. And the latest report shows that the first Wi-Fi 7-equipped smartphone will launch in the second half of 2024. Apple devices still use Wi-Fi 6, and with no other phone launches on the horizon, it seems likely that Apple will stick with Wi-Fi 6 and skip Wi-Fi 6E altogether. Samsung, on the other hand, seems to be launching the first smartphones with Wi-Fi 7 feature with the Galaxy S24.
What is Wi-Fi 7?
Quoting integrated circuit (IC) manufacturers and inspection labs, DigiTimes says Wi-Fi 6E will only be a “temporary technology” as Wi-Fi 7 will be ready for launch in 2024. When we look at the features, we see that 300MHz channels with 4K quad amplitude modulation (QAM) technology support, which can use Wi-Fi 7, can offer up to 2.4 times faster speeds compared to Wi-Fi 6 with the same number of antennas. Wi-Fi 7 is expected to deliver speeds of at least 30Gbps, possibly even reaching the 40Gbps mark, the Wi-Fi Alliance says.
In other words, there will be a significant improvement in the field of speed. Compared to Wi-Fi 7 speeds, Wi-Fi 6 has speeds of up to 9.6 Gbps and Wi-Fi 5 goes up to a maximum of 3.5 Gbps. Thanks to new technologies that prevent lag, Wi-Fi 7 will also provide a stable connection. Before Wi-Fi 7 is released for smartphones, it will be used in routers and laptops. It can be predicted that Wi-Fi 7 will be expensive in its early days and it will take until 2025 to become a commonplace technology.
In early January, MediaTek introduced Wi-Fi 7, and Intel announced that they will use Wi-Fi 7 in laptops by 2024. Smartphone chip giant Qualcomm is also working on Wi-Fi 7 chip options for adoption as early as possible. During MWC 2022, Qualcomm announced the FastConnect 7800 chip, which comes with features like industry-leading Bluetooth, low-latency networking and, of course, Wi-Fi 7 technology.
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