US-based company Qualcomm recently announced its next-generation chips for smartphones and Wi-Fi routers armed with Wi-Fi 6E. The new chipsets will be able to operate on the newly opened 6GHz spectrum. This should offer less network congestion on existing frequencies and be faster and more reliable compared to older connections.
Wi-Fi 6 devices have just started to pop up on the market. Nevertheless, we will soon be seeing phones with Wi-Fi 6E be launching in the market. This could happen as soon as next year. The new Qualcomm chips armed with Wi-Fi 6E support are part of the company’s FastConnect series. Qualcomm has two chip designs. The first is for smartphones and the second is for use on routers.
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The company is currently shipping the chip for routers to various manufacturers. The chip for smartphones is expected to be shipped by the second half of the year.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 875 might have Wi-Fi 6E support
Note that Qualcomm has already launched the Snapdragon 865, its high-end chip for this year. So support for Wi-Fi 6E is likely possible only when the company launches its next major chipset, likely the Snapdragon 875 at the end of this year or in 2021.
Meanwhile, Apple is set to make work with Qualcomm again for its 5G-enabled chipsets for the iPhone 12 series expected this year. The company signed a deal with Broadcomm that will likely include Wi-Fi chips for the next three years. We could see support for Wi-Fi 6E in the iPhone 12 series as Broadcomm has already unveiled its Wi-Fi 6E enabled chip in February this year.
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Since routers are expected to soon support the new Wi-Fi 6E 6GHz frequency, users who might be planning to get a new Wi-Fi router might want to wait it out a bit. Getting a new router with the 6Hz tech supported will be a must to use the new frequency as users will need both a supported phone and router for it to work.