The iPhone SE supports Wi-Fi 6. Here's what that means for you

© Provided by CNET   The iPhone SE supports the newest, fastest version of Wi-Fi. Angela Lang/CNET

By Ry Crist, CNET

In case you haven't heard, there's a new iPhone SE up for sale. Like last year's iPhone 11 lineup, there's no support for 5G  yet -- but that doesn't mean there won't be speed. All of them -- the iPhone 11, the iPhone 11 Pro, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max, as well as the new iPhone SE, which costs just $399 -- include support for Wi-Fi 6.

It's right there in the tech specs. All four models support 802.11ax, the technical name for Wi-Fi 6. That puts the iPhone up there with Samsung's Galaxy S10 and Note 10 mobile devices, which were the earliest phones to hop aboard the Wi-Fi 6 bandwagon before the Galaxy S20 and Galaxy Fold followed suit. New phones from Huawei and OnePlus support the speedy new standard, too.

That's great! Also: What exactly is Wi-Fi 6 again?

Next-gen connections

Wi-Fi 6 is the newest version of the 802.11 standard for wireless networking, which we commonly call Wi-Fi. The current version that most of your Wi-Fi devices probably use is 802.11ac, or Wi-Fi 5. Devices that support Wi-Fi 6 still speak that same Wi-Fi language to talk to each other -- they just talk faster and more efficiently than before.

The specific technical advancements that the standard brings to the table are complicated, but you can read my full Wi-Fi 6 explainer to start wrapping your head around them (and do let me know in the comments if you find the Mortal Kombat analogy helpful). But in a nutshell, Wi-Fi 6 is better than Wi-Fi 5 because:

• It supports faster top transfer speeds (we've clocked it at as much as 1,320Mbps -- about 40% faster than the fastest Wi-Fi 5 speeds we've measured).

• It lets devices send more information with each individual transmission.

• It lets routers and other access points service more devices at once.

• It helps sensors and other wireless gadgets conserve battery power by scheduling transmissions.

• It facilitates better, faster performance in dense, crowded environments like airports and stadiums.

© Provided by CNET   According to our speed tests, Wi-Fi 6 lets devices transfer data about 40% faster than before. That number will likely go up as we continue working through more tests. Ry Crist/CNET

So my internet will be faster?

Well... not really.

The new iPhones and other devices that support Wi-Fi 6, like the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus, will definitely be able to take advantage of all of the Wi-Fi 6 perks -- but only if they've got a Wi-Fi 6 access point to connect to. You won't see any difference at all if you're still using a Wi-Fi 5 router. And sure, Wi-Fi 6 routers are available now (we're currently testing a bunch of the things out) -- but most are still pretty expensive.

Even if you do get one, it won't do anything to magically make your internet connection faster. If the connection from your internet service provider is, say, 100Mbps, then that's the speed limit for your home. Wi-Fi 6 can't do anything to speed it up.

Right now, the average download speed in the US is 119Mbps, which is nowhere close to the top speeds Wi-Fi 6 is theoretically capable of. Using a Wi-Fi 6 router on a network like that is a bit like driving a sports car on sand. You aren't going to go nearly as fast as your hardware is capable of.

So yeah, Wi-Fi 6 is fast and exciting -- but it's also early. Supporting Wi-Fi 6 helps future-proof the newest iPhones, but it isn't a must-have feature just yet, and you shouldn't feel obligated to rush out and replace your router. 

© Provided by CNET   Wi-Fi 6 in the newest iPhones will help spur more of the market toward adopting the new standard, too. John Kim/CNET

The future looks fast

All of that said, the spread of fiber networks and other connections that approach gigabit speeds means that Wi-Fi 6 will probably be a whole lot more relevant to a whole lot more people within the next year or so. And, now that the iPhone is on board, you can expect more devices to follow suit with support for the standard, too. Apple is still a market mover.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for Wi-Fi 6 deployments in public places. One such deployment, a Wi-Fi 6 Boingo network at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California, has been up and running since April of last year. If your phone supports the new standard, you'll benefit from faster public networks like those. And if you're sticking with a Wi-Fi 5 phone, don't worry -- Wi-Fi 6 networks are backward-compatible with older-gen Wi-Fi devices, even if they can't do much to make them any faster.

See more at: CNET