New wireless silicon in the iPhone 17 family delivers material performance improvements over predecessors, pushing it ahead of many Android flagship devices in Wi-Fi.
If the last few smartphone releases were defined by cellular milestones, 2025 has quietly become the year of Wi‑Fi. Apple’s first custom networking chip, the N1, arrives in the iPhone 17 family, while Android flagships (meaning companies’ top-of-the-line models) have leaned into Wi-Fi 7 and 6 GHz with enhanced capabilities made possible by 320 MHz channels. The primacy of Wi-Fi performance in the everyday user experience and the proliferation of new form factors mean device manufacturers are competing more intensely for access to the best networking silicon.
Using global, crowdsourced Speedtest Intelligence® data from the six weeks after the iPhone 17 family of devices hit stores, we compared the performance of Apple’s N1 with its Broadcom-based predecessor and leading Android flagships using Wi-Fi silicon from Qualcomm, MediaTek and Broadcom.
Key Takeaways:
- Apple’s N1 chipset is a substantial upgrade. The iPhone 17 family delivers a clear step-change in Wi-Fi performance vs. the Broadcom-based iPhone 16 lineup, with faster download and upload speeds across every region. Globally, median download and upload speeds on the N1 were each up to 40% higher than on its predecessor.
- Google’s Pixel 10 Pro and iPhone 17 families jostle for Wi-Fi leadership. The Pixel 10 Pro recorded the highest global median download speed at 335.33 Mbps during the study period, marginally edging out the iPhone 17 family at 329.56 Mbps. The pattern flips at the 10th percentile (worst-case), where the iPhone 17 family leads globally with 56.08 Mbps, just ahead of the Pixel 10 Pro family at 53.25 Mbps.
- Xiaomi’s 15T Pro delivers the strongest upload and latency performance. Based on MediaTek Wi-Fi silicon integrated with the Dimensity 9400(+) platform, the 15T Pro performed strongest in 90th-percentile (best-case) download speed at 887.25 Mbps, upload speed at the 10th, median and 90th percentile levels and median multi-server latency (15 ms) globally.
- Huawei’s Pura 80 family suffers from lack of 6 GHz support but remains competitive on non-6 GHz networks. Based on a “self-developed chip-level collaboration” (likely from HiSilicon), it lags other flagships in download and upload speeds, with a particularly acute gap at the 90th percentile where the absence of 6 GHz support hurts peak performance. Notwithstanding this, when looking only at non-6 GHz samples, the Pura 80 family is more competitive and, on Wi-Fi 6, delivers the second-fastest upload speeds at the 90th percentile (603.61 Mbps) in Southeast Asia against Android flagships.
- Wi-Fi 7 and 6 GHz are force multipliers for flagship Wi-Fi silicon, though adoption remains regionally skewed. Across Android families, median 6 GHz download speeds were at least 77% faster than 5 GHz, and the step from Wi-Fi 6 to Wi-Fi 7 delivered a similar lift. In North America, flagship Android users spend much more time on 6 GHz networks, with the Galaxy S25 family showing over 20% of Speedtest samples on 6 GHz, compared with about 5% in Europe and Northeast Asia and just 1.7% in the Gulf region.
Methodological note: This analysis uses Speedtest® data collected from September 19 to October 29, 2025. The included Wi-Fi 7-capable devices are listed below. For each device family, the results represent the aggregate of all devices in that family:
- Apple iPhone 16 family (iPhone 16, 16 Plus, 16 Pro, 16 Pro Max)
- Apple iPhone 17 family (iPhone Air, iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max)
- Samsung Galaxy S25 family (Galaxy S25, S25+, S25 Ultra)
- Google Pixel 10 Pro family (Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL)
- Huawei Pura 80 family (Pura 80 Pro, Pura 80 Ultra)
- Xiaomi 15T Pro
- Vivo X200 Pro
- Oppo Find X8 Pro
Apple’s N1 focuses on tighter hardware-software integration rather than chasing peak capability
The arrival of the N1 marks the next ambitious step in Apple’s multi-year plan to bring the last major piece of the iPhone’s wireless stack in-house. By moving off Broadcom-supplied parts, Apple gains tighter control over mission-critical silicon, reduces supplier dependence and pricing exposure and creates a reusable radio platform that can scale across iPhone, Mac, iPad, Watch and Home devices.
Technically, the N1 is a single-die chip that integrates Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6 and Thread radios. Aside from the step up from Bluetooth 5.3 to 6 and Apple’s claim that tighter hardware-software integration improves features like AirDrop and Personal Hotspot, the N1’s Wi-Fi capabilities appear, on paper, virtually identical to its Broadcom-based predecessor.
This continuity in Wi-Fi specifications is notable because it means the N1 is capped at 160 MHz channels and lacks support for 320 MHz operation and thus the peak link rates (or PHY speeds) available with flagship silicon from vendors such as Qualcomm and MediaTek.
In practical terms, this should limit the N1’s peak performance in markets that allow the full 6 GHz band, like the US, which offers up to three non-overlapping 320 MHz channels. It should also limit performance (although potentially to a lesser degree) in regions that allow only the lower 6 GHz block, like the EU and UK, which offer just one non-overlapping 320 MHz channel.
iPhone 17 family delivers a clear step up in Wi-Fi performance over its predecessors
Analysis of Speedtest Intelligence data shows that, despite the similar headline specifications between the Broadcom-based iPhone 16 family and the N1-powered iPhone 17, the 17 delivers a clear step-change in real-world Wi-Fi performance. New devices often appear to outperform in their early weeks, partly because early adopters skew toward wealthier markets with more capable Wi-Fi networks. However, the consistency and magnitude of the iPhone 17’s lead indicate this is not a launch-period skew but a genuine improvement.
iPhone 17 Family Delivers Step-Change in Wi-Fi Performance Globally
Speedtest Intelligence® | Sept 19 – Oct 29, 2025. Regional.
To ensure the gains are not a simple country-mix artifact, we matched markets where both families exhibited the most samples during the study period. Across all of those countries analysed, including major markets such as the US, UK, Germany, Japan, Italy and India, the iPhone 17 outperformed the iPhone 16 on download performance. This pattern holds across markets with very high absolute speeds (e.g., France) and more typical markets alike, pointing to genuine device-side improvements.
N1 Silicon is Driving Wi-Fi Gains Across Major Markets
Speedtest Intelligence® | Sept 19 – Oct 29, 2025. Country-level.
The iPhone 17 family delivered higher download and upload speeds on Wi-Fi compared to the iPhone 16 across every studied percentile (10th, median and 90th) and virtually every region. During the study period, the iPhone 17 family’s global median download of 329.56 Mbps was as much as 40% higher than the iPhone 16 family’s 236.46 Mbps. Upload speeds improved similarly, jumping from 73.68 Mbps to 103.26 Mbps.
iPhone 17 Family Sees Biggest Upload Gains in Asia
Speedtest Intelligence® | Sept 19 – Oct 29, 2025. Regional
Notably, the N1 delivers a far bigger generational uplift at the 10th percentile than at the 90th, implying Apple’s custom silicon lifts the floor more than the ceiling, a pattern we also saw in our analysis of the in-house C1 modem’s cellular performance.
iPhone 17 Family is Stronger in Tough Wi-Fi Conditions
Speedtest Intelligence® | Sept 19 – Oct 29, 2025. Regional.
This means the N1 appears to deliver a more consistent experience across a wider range of environments, in particular uplifting performance under challenging Wi-Fi conditions. Specifically, 10th-percentile speeds on iPhone 17 were over 60% higher, versus just over 20% at the 90th percentile.
At a regional level, iPhone 17 users enjoyed the highest median download speeds in North America at 416.14 Mbps (up from 323.69 Mbps on the iPhone 16 family), mainly due to greater 6 GHz use. At a country level, meanwhile, iPhone 17 users in Singapore (613.80 Mbps) and France (601.46 Mbps) saw the highest speeds out of all the markets where the device has launched, reflecting the very high penetration of multi-gigabit fibre in both.
The lack of 320 MHz support does not yet impact N1 performance in the wild
The N1’s performance not only surpasses its Broadcom-based predecessor but also places the iPhone 17 family in a strong competitive position across all Wi-Fi metrics in every region. Notably, Apple’s latest lineup achieved the highest global 10th-percentile download speed at 56.08 Mbps, reinforcing the observation that the N1 is likely to deliver more consistent performance in non-ideal Wi-Fi conditions.
The N1’s apparent handicap on paper, with channel width capped at 160 MHz rather than the 320 MHz that Wi-Fi 7 supports with 6 GHz, does not materially affect performance in real world use for most people. In theory, this cap could halve peak link rates right next to a top tier router, yet the impact is rarely visible outside controlled tests, highlighting the importance of real-world testing and crowdsourced data to reflect the actual end-user experience.
This is evident in the iPhone 17 family posting the highest median (416.14 Mbps) and 90th percentile (976.39 Mbps) download speeds of any device in North America, where gains from 320 MHz channels should be most apparent. The most likely explanation is that the installed base of 320 MHz-capable routers remains very small (and our recent shows Wi-Fi 7 adoption itself is still limited), so usage is not yet material enough to move results at the aggregate level.
This may also explain why Apple chose not to add the capability to the N1, even though the performance benefit of 320-MHz-capable silicon is likely to grow as the Wi-Fi ecosystem matures, making it a future-proofing feature for Android flagships that include it.
Google’s Pixel 10 Pro leads on median download speed, Samsung’s Galaxy S25 delivers lowest best-case latency
Beyond the iPhone 17 family, Google’s Pixel 10 Pro also performed strongly on download speed. Likely powered by Broadcom Wi-Fi silicon (consistent with the Pixel 8 and 9 lineage), it achieved the highest global median download speed at 335.33 Mbps during the study period, narrowly ahead of the iPhone 17 family at 329.56 Mbps. In markets such as North America, where Chinese Android brands have limited share, the Pixel 10 Pro also leads in upload performance at both the median and the 90th percentile.
Samsung’s Galaxy S25 family, based on Qualcomm’s FastConnect 7900 Wi-Fi silicon integrated with the Snapdragon 8 Elite platform, did not lead outright in any metric at the global level but was positioned in the upper mid-pack across most. Its clearest regional strength was latency, where it delivered the lowest best-case response times in North America (6 ms), Europe (7 ms) and the Gulf (9 ms). It also led in median multi-server latency in Europe (17 ms) and 90th percentile upload speeds in the Gulf (330.80 Mbps).
Galaxy S25 Shows Strong Latency Performance
Speedtest Intelligence® | Sept 19 – Oct 29, 2025. Regional.
Xiaomi’s 15T Pro dominates upload performance with MediaTek Wi-Fi silicon
During the study period, the device ranking for upload speed differed markedly from the download ranking, even after controlling for country mix effects (that is, cases where devices skew toward markets with unusually high or low upload speeds). In markets where it has a large installed base, including Europe and Northeast Asia, Xiaomi’s 15T Pro, built on MediaTek Wi-Fi silicon integrated in the Dimensity 9400 (+) platform, showed a commanding lead in upload performance.
During the study period, Xiaomi’s 15T Pro achieved the fastest upload speeds in Europe at every percentile measured (10th, median, 90th) and also led 10th percentile uploads in Northeast Asia. In fiber-rich markets such as France, which are characterized by very high upstream performance and symmetrical line speeds, the 15T Pro was the only device to surpass 100 Mbps at the 10th percentile, 500 Mbps at the median, and 1,000 Mbps at the 90th percentile.
Beyond upload performance, Xiaomi’s flagship also provided strong performance on multi-server latency, delivering the lowest response times globally at the median (15 ms) and 90th percentile levels (42 ms).
Huawei’s Pura 80 family performs relatively more strongly where 6 GHz is not used
The Pura 80 series is based on a “self-developed chip-level collaboration” for Wi-Fi 7, suggesting, but not confirming, continued use of a HiSilicon solution after the Pura 70’s in-house silicon. If this is the case, Huawei would be the only other manufacturer besides Apple using vertically integrated Wi-Fi silicon across its current flagship lineup.
Critically, however, Huawei’s Wi-Fi 7 implementation in the Pura 80 family lacks 6 GHz support, both on devices sold in China (where 6 GHz is not available for Wi-Fi anyway) and overseas. This limitation significantly impedes performance capability on 6 GHz-capable Wi-Fi networks, especially in crowded environments, where the additional spectrum unlocks major speed gains on devices that can take advantage of it.
The lack of 6 GHz support is particularly evident at the 90th percentile, where the Pura 80 family trailed all other devices in Southeast Asia, the region with the largest observed install base for the device, posting download speeds of 541.33 Mbps that were more than 39% below the top performing Oppo Find X8 Pro there. This lag also extended to median download speeds in the same region, where the Pura 80 family again trailed all other devices.
Notwithstanding this disadvantage, the Pura 80 was competitive on some metrics, including upload performance on access points lacking Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 (which do not benefit from 6 GHz access). On Wi-Fi 6 connections, Huawei’s flagship delivered the second-fastest upload speeds at the 90th percentile (603.61 Mbps) in Southeast Asia against Android flagships.
Wi-Fi 7 and 6 GHz propel flagships to new performance levels, but benefits remain fragmented
Although Wi-Fi outcomes vary by device, even between models using the same silicon because factors like hardware and software integration and chassis tuning affect results, and although they also vary by region, the commonality is a step-change in performance on flagship devices enabled by newer standards such as Wi-Fi 7 and access to the 6 GHz band.
On modern access points and devices with Wi-Fi 7-capable silicon, users can take advantage of newer features like Multi-Link Operation (MLO), which enables the use of multiple Wi-Fi bands at the same time (similar to carrier aggregation with cellular).
Flagship Devices See Higher Speeds on Newer Wi-Fi Standards
Speedtest Intelligence® | Sept 19 – Oct 29, 2025. Global.
These upgrades are translating into tangible gains, with Wi-Fi 7 delivering roughly double the median download speeds of Wi-Fi 6 on the same flagship Android devices included in this study (uplift ranging from +74% to +108% depending on device family). The step from Wi-Fi 5 to Wi-Fi 6 delivered a similar uplift on these devices (uplift ranging from +72% to +123%). Similarly, median download speeds on flagship devices connected to 6 GHz were at least 77% faster than 5 GHz.
Flagship Devices Perform Better on Higher Wi-Fi Bands
Speedtest Intelligence® | Sept 19 – Oct 29, 2025. Global.
The diffusion of these benefits in the real-world, however, is still at an early stage and regionally fragmented. For instance, while over 20% of Speedtest samples conducted on the Galaxy S25 family in North America originated on the 6 GHz band during the study period, only about 5% of samples in Europe and Northeast Asia and 1.7% in the Gulf region were based on 6 GHz.
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