Apple to Restrict WiFi 6E Access to iPhone 15 Pro Models, Reports Suggest

Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro models could have a wider feature gap compared to the standard iPhone 15 models. A leaked antenna design document obtained by MacRumors reveals that the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max will have WiFi 6E connectivity, while the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus will only have WiFi 6. The document outlines the antenna architecture of the iPhone 15 line.

While some of Apple’s recent devices, such as the M2 variants of the Mac mini, MacBook Pro, and iPad Pro, have WiFi 6E connectivity, the company has yet to make the feature more widely available. WiFi 6E offers faster connectivity speeds and lower latency compared to WiFi 6, but the omission of this feature from the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus is unlikely to affect most consumers, as the majority of homes and businesses still use older WiFi 5 and WiFi 6 routers.

In the past, Apple has not restricted the availability of new WiFi standards to iPhone Pro models. However, with the iPhone 14 line, only the Pro and Pro Max models came with the new A16 Bionic chip, Dynamic Island cutout, and ProMotion display. It seems that the company is now finding more ways to differentiate its Pro models from the standard models. Other features that could be exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max include the upcoming A16 chipset, a titanium frame, more RAM for multitasking, and solid-state volume and power buttons.