iPhone 13: Apple could speed up downloads with this technology

The key takeaway from this year's iPhone launches was 5G and it seems Apple's push for faster wireless speeds will continue onto the next year. Except, this time, the technology has nothing to do with 5G. As you might have guessed already, this increase in wireless speeds concerns WiFi and the technology we are talking about is WiFi 6E. Analysts from Barclays have seemingly received a piece of information from Apple suppliers about the iPhone 13 likely featuring enhanced Wi-Fi speeds.

For the uninitiated, the iPhone 12 series already supports WiFi 6. 

What is Wi-Fi 6E?

An evolution of Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E promises, among other things, faster data transfers with reduced latency thanks to the use of a new frequency band in the 6 GHz range. According to the Wi-Fi Alliance, this is helpful for streaming high-definition videos or for people who work with virtual reality applications.

These things aside, the reduced latency can also be seen as a potential advantage for gamers, and those who live stream games. The possibility of Wi-Fi 6E making it to the iPhone 13 is particularly exciting given that Microsoft appears to be integrating the new iPhone models tightly into its streaming platform called xCloud.Another advantage that Wi-Fi 6E has over its older sibling is that it is said to be less susceptible to interference. This is likely to reduce the frustration with connection problems.

In the US, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had already cleared spectrum in the 6 GHz band for necessary unlicensed use last spring. In the next step, which should follow in early 2021, the members Wi-Fi Alliance want to certify the worldwide deployment.

As mentioned earlier, Apple supports the classic Wi-Fi 6 so far in the iPhone 11, iPhone 12 and the current variant of the iPhone SE (2nd generation), among others. In addition to the iPhone, however, the router or Wi-Fi access point must of course also support the necessary technology. So it will probably be some time before Wi-Fi 6E will become commonplace.

Now, on to the next piece of news.

No more iPhone SE models anytime soon?

The same analysts at Barclays also had some more news to share about the iPhone SE. Well, the news is a bit sad because according to them, Apple - at least for the time being - seems to have no plans to update the affordable smartphone again

They did initially hear rumours of a larger model with a 5.5- or 6.1-inch display, but in further discussions with suppliers, there was no mention of it. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo previously said Apple had pushed back the unveiling of a larger iPhone SE to the second half of 2021.

Barclays analysts, for example, were the first to say in the past that Apple would not include a charger or headphones with the iPhone 12. They also predicted, among other things, that iPhone 8 and iPhone X would get displays with True Tone and that iPhone 11 would ship without 3D Touch.

Source: MacRumors