Wi-Fi 7

18-inch laptops are seeing increased adoption and MSI is now adding such a model to the Creator lineup among others. Along with the Tiatn 18HX, the CreatorPro X18 HX is said to be the world's first to feature the new 18-inch 3840 x 2400 MiniLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate. It also supports up to 128 GB DDR5 RAM and comes with Nvidia RTX 3500 / 5000 Ada generation professional GPUs.

The most advanced AI laptops from the Creator lineup come with 16-inch 4K screens, intel Core Ultra 7 or 9 processors, up to an RTX 4090 dGPU, Wi-Fi 7 and solid security features including a fingerprint sensor, all in a lightweight chassis.

The next WLAN standard is ready. 802.11be brings a wider 6 GHz band, multilink operation and other functions to increase bandwidth. The first certified Wi-Fi routers will also be announced at CES 2024.

Alongside the Omen Transcend 14, HP is also offering a refreshed Omen Transcend 16 with Intel Raptor Lake-HX Refresh processors including the Core i7-14700HX and Core i9-14900HX. This year's Omen Transcend 16 drops the mini-LED option and instead offers a QHD+ 240 Hz OLED as the top configuration.

HP is introducing the Omen Transcend 14 at CES 2024, pitching it as the world's coolest and lightest 14-inch gaming laptop. The Omen Transcend 14 features an IMAX-enhanced 2.8K 120 Hz OLED display and offers up to Core Ultra 9 185H and RTX 4070 options. Buyers can also optionally configure the Transcend 14 with Wi-Fi 7 networking.

Dell is bidding goodbye to the iconic XPS 15 lineup, making way for the new XPS 16 9640. The XPS 16 9640 continues the same design language as the newly launched XPS 13 and XPS 14. Buyers can customize the XPS 16 with 45 W Intel Meteor Lake CPUs, up to a 60 W Nvidia RTX 4070 Laptop GPU, an optional 4K+ OLED panel, and reap benefits of Wi-Fi 7 connectivity.

Dell is consolidating its XPS 13 Plus and XPS 13 lineups into the XPS 13 9340. The new XPS 13 9340 is lighter than its predecessors, and now comes with a 3K+ OLED display option. Buyers can select from Intel Core Ultra 5 and Core Ultra 7 Meteor Lake processors. Also in the offing are a 1080p webcam and Wi-Fi 7 networking.

Wi-Fi 7, aka 802.11be, is still under development. But its completion is within reach. In a few months, the first devices are likely be certified and the exciting question about existing hardware is expected to be clarified.

Banana Pi is now selling the BPI-R4, a 148 x 100.5 mm single-board computer designed as a router board. Sporting numerous LAN and WAN connections, the Banana Pi BPI-R4 also has three Nano SIM card slots and supports 5G, as well as the modern WiFi 7 standard.

HP has accidentally listed its upcoming Spectre x360 laptop ahead of time. It comes in two flavours, Intel Core i7-155H and Intel Core i5-125H, and offers next-gen features such as Wi-Fi 7.

Intel's upcoming Lunar Lake MX processors will come in Core 5 and Core 7 flavors with 4 P-cores and 4 E-cores and up to 8 Xe2-LPG Battlemage graphics cores that can almost match Apple's M2 iGPU performance. The entry-level 8 W SKU will not require active cooling.

MediaTek has announced two new Wi-Fi 7-ready chips, the Filogic 860 and 360. The former is a standalone device complete with its own 3-core CPU, whereas the latter is reserved for smartphones/laptops/tablets and other IoT devices.

According to a new report, Apple is set to make numerous upgrades to its next smaller Pro model next year. While the iPhone 16 Pro is rumoured to be slightly larger than the current iPhone 15 Pro, this will coincide with the adoption of Wi-Fi 7 connectivity, a new 48 MP ultra-wide-angle camera and the 5x periscope sensor from the iPhone 15 Pro Max, among other changes.

Qualcomm has announced that it will partner the US broadband company Charter to deliver a new router for the latter's Spectrum Advanced WiFi service. It is rated to deliver 10 gigabit per second (Gb/s) wired speeds as well as Wi-Fi 7 to the customers that upgrade to it, while still supporting features such as the My Spectrum App and Security Shield.

Qualcomm asserts that it will unlock next-gen broadband speeds with its new 10G Fiber Platform. It is designed to become the basis of next-gen service access devices capable of using 10 gigabit (10Gb) cables to unleash Wi-Fi 7 speeds within the home. It also features Qualcomm's Service Defined Wi-Fi technology, a feature touted to make the gateway in question as custom as possible.

The 11S is iQOO's first ever flagship-grade smartphone that combines a flat display with the brand's ultra-fast 200W charging technology. To that end, it is touted as a new "super fast, super clear, super smooth" e-sports-ready mobile device. Even though it has ostensibly been launched to refresh the 11 Pro, it has the exact same internal specs, however - except for the new top-end storage spec, of course.

The BPI-R4 is Banana Pi's latest single-board computer (SBC) and router board. Equipped with a MediaTek MT7988A (Filogic 880) SoC, the Banana BPI-R4 supports WiFi 7 connectivity and numerous expansion options.

The ASRock Z790 Nova WiFi7 and Z790 Riptide WiFi7 motherboards part of the premium Phantom Gaming lineup are Intel-only. Hopefully mobo makers will soon add Wi-Fi 7 for the AM5 platform from AMD.

MSI has announced an all-new Alpha 17 lineup with AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX Dragon Range APUs and a choice of Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 and RTX 4060 Laptop GPUs. This year's Alpha 17 offerings come with improved QHD 240 Hz displays that cover 100% DCI-P3 and are also the world's first laptops to feature Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 Wi-Fi 7 WLAN.

Acer is upgrading its Swift Edge 16 premium business laptop ahead of Computex 2023. The Acer Swift Edge 16 features AMD Ryzen 7040 APUs with up to Radeon 780M graphics and a 16:10 120 Hz WQXGA+ OLED panel among other features. Acer has also equipped the Swift Edge 16 with a QHD 1440p webcam and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity.

MediaTek has announced that its flagship Dimensity line of mobile SoCs has gone Auto with a new range of computing solutions for next-gen vehicles. It challenges Qualcomm's latest offerings for the same industry pretty directly, purporting to cover the needs of the "smart cockpit" and connectivity on the road as well as automatic driver assistance systems (ADAS), delivered through the OEM's cutting-edge architecture.

Motorola's most potential-laden - and "Wi-Fi 7-ready" - Android flagship to date has finally arrived in Global Edition form. The Edge 40 Pro has brought its class-leading pOLED display and top-end internals with it to international shores. It also outstrips most of its competition with 125W TurboPower charging technology, and features triple rear-facing cameras, two of which are 50MP.

Meizu has unveiled the vanilla and Pro variants of its new 20 series of Android smartphones today (March 30, 2023). The devices are now poised to take on others such as the Xiaomi 13 series and OnePlus 11 with Qualcomm's new top-end processor, at least 12GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The 20 Pro also boasts fast wireless charging and triple rear 50MP shooters.

Apple has already devoted over US$1 billion to the establishment of a Silicon Design Center located in Munich, Germany. Now, the Cupertino giant has announced that it intends to approximately double this investment in expanding the facility into new buildings with significantly more lab space and "cutting-edge design". The initiative is intended to enhance R&D on on projects such as next-gen processors and wireless technologies at the Center.

Apple had reportedly planned to release iPhone 16- or 17-series devices with their own in-house Wi-Fi chips to go with their next-gen proprietary processors. However, according to a leading industry analyst, these aspirations have just gone the same way as the Cupertino giant's custom 5G baseband dreams. Meanwhile, the unusually high pressure to make A16 Bionic and M2-series successors instead mounts.

MediaTek and Federated Wireless have announced that products such as 5G hotspots and Ethernet gateways powered by Filogic chips for either Wi-Fi 7 or 6E stand to benefit from improved capacity, speed and range, as they are now more compatible with the 6GHz band on Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) systems. The chips' new certification is touted as an important step toward their inclusion into standardized devices approved by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC).

MediaTek asserts that its Wi-Fi 7 tech is taking off as of 2023, with an upcoming range of devices based on its new flagship Filogic 880 chipset for this purpose. The OEM has now also confirmed that it will be a part of Lenovo's upcoming Legion series. Its Wi-Fi 7 solution has also been chosen to pair with the next generation of AMD Ryzen processors, as well as with that of testing and validation equipment.

Now that Wi-Fi 7 is all but here, Qualcomm has anticipated demand for new total-home or home mesh systems compatible with this new standard. The OEM's latest Immersive Home Platforms are touted as small yet powerful enough to deliver 20 gigabit per second (Gb/s) worth of broadband capacity in unobtrusive form-factors.

Wi-Fi 7 is the latest standard in conventional consumer-grade wireless data technology, and as such may start to overtake its 6/6E predecessors as the latest in marketing buzzwords alongside phrases such as 'cutting-edge'. Now, a prominent industry blog claims to have ascertained when this spec will start hitting smartphones, which might in turn define the generation of flagships from prominent OEMs that will debut with it.

MediaTek has unveiled the T830 as a new platform for the router-, Mi-Fi-, or CPE-type devices of the future. It is Wi-Fi 7 capable, and can handle 4G, 5G, up-to-10Gb/s Ethernet or Wi-Fi 6/6E inputs as well. The SoC is also compatible with battery power, and is touted as light on power use in these cases.

MediaTek's latest Pentonic chipset has debuted with an emphasis on remote group-watching and group-calling use-cases. It also features the up-to-date specs and features required to enjoy 4K gaming and content in general. The 700 is also touted as being Wi-Fi 7-ready and supporting "powerful AI enhancements".

Qualcomm asserts that its latest radiofrequency front-end (or RFFE) solution is the ideal companion for an up-to-date mobile modem, as it confers the new spec of "5G/Wi-Fi coexistence" on a given device, as well as battery savings and improved performance. It is compatible with smartphones - as well as other use-cases such as IoT, VR headsets and in-car systems for the first time.

MediaTek is demonstrating its Wi-Fi 7 platform comprised of the Filogic 380 and Filogic 880 chipsets at Computex 2022. The Filogic 380 is a client Wi-Fi 7 chip that supports up to 5 Gbps speeds per channel, 4096-QAM, 320 MHz channel, and other Wi-Fi 7 technologies. The Filogic 880 is a Wi-Fi 7 access point solution with its own quad-core Cortex-A73 CPU and dedicated NPU that can scale up to 36 Gbps throughput.

Qualcomm touts its latest additions to the Networking Pro series of components as the go-to solutions to complete the next generation of routers, gateways, access points and so on. This is because they are the first of their line to support Wi-Fi 7. They are available in tri- and quad-band variants, and are pitched at OEMs planning their next premium consumer- to enterprise-grade wireless equipment.