iPhone 16 series thought to be among the first smartphones to upgrade to Wi-Fi 7

Now that the latest Qualcomm RFFE modules are out, one might expect that smartphones that can use both 5G and Wi-Fi 7 will soon follow. However, the Taiwanese media outlet DigiTimes now purports to have what might be slightly bad news to those holding out for a mobile device with both specs.

The blog now asserts that they may not be here until the second half of 2024. Citing its sources working in "IC backend and inspection" facilities, this is the nearest window for the launch of Wi-Fi 7-capable smartphones.

This has led to estimations that Samsung will announce the Galaxy S24 series as its first-gen flagships with the technology...which, as those smartphones typically launch in the earlier part of the year, might be a little off-kilter for them. (It would not be beyond the realms of possibility for the OEM to reserve the upgrade for that year's foldable flagship instead.)

In any case, should DigiTimes be correct, Apple just might be poised to launch what it might call the fastest iPhones on Wi-Fi in 2024 - that would be the 16 series, presuming the Cupertino giant keeps its current naming scheme going.

Putative generation aside, Wi-Fi 7 smartphones might be capable of up to 2.4 times the non-mobile-data speeds as those with 6/6E. It will be interesting to see if those potential upgrades can seize some air-time away from other predicted spec-bumps, such as those of the more mainstream under-display camera and satellite connectivity.

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