Apple’s N1 chip on iPhone 17 series outperforms Android flagships in Wi-Fi

Fresh findings from Ookla’s Speedtest Intelligence point to notable changes in Wi-Fi performance on the latest iPhone lineup. The analytics platform has shared new data comparing Apple’s newest wireless approach with current Android flagships. The findings indicate a shift worth examining, and the detailed results highlight how the landscape may be evolving.

iPhone 17 series sees stronger Wi-Fi results

According to Ookla’s analysis from the first several weeks of public usage, the Apple iPhone 17 series shows a noticeable rise in Wi-Fi speed and consistency compared to the iPhone 16 generation. Apple’s move away from the Broadcom-based design and toward a fully in-house networking solution appears to play a major role.

The N1 chip supports Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, enabling deeper integration with Apple’s software stack. This change leads to higher download and upload speeds across most major regions and clearer gains in situations where networks are congested or signals are weak.

The improvements stand out even without support for 320 MHz Wi-Fi 7 channels. Ookla’s data indicates that these wider channels are not yet commonly used in many markets, including India, so the absence of the feature does not limit current performance.

Instead, gains come from more efficient handling of real-world traffic. At the lower end of the performance spectrum, the iPhone 17 lineup records significantly better reliability and faster recovery in busy environments.

Comparison with Android flagships

Among competing devices, Google’s latest flagship reaches one of the fastest global median download speeds at 335.33 Mbps, slightly ahead of the iPhone 17 series at 329.56 Mbps. Xiaomi’s premium models lead upload speeds with support from MediaTek’s wireless platform, while Samsung’s Galaxy S25 lineup maintains low latency across several regions.

Despite varying strengths across brands, the iPhone 17 family remains consistently high across most Wi-Fi categories. In India, these gains translate to smoother streaming, more stable video calls and faster downloads in households with multiple connected devices.

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