iPhone 11 tipped to have faster Wi-Fi, but 5G might have to wait

It's closing in on four months since the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR were revealed by Apple, which means it's high time we started thinking about what the 2019 iPhones might have to offer – and the rumors swirling this weekend are focusing on the sort of wireless tech the handsets could introduce.

According to Barclays analyst Blaine Curtis, the iPhone 11 (or whatever it ends up being called) could well include support for Wi-Fi 6, also known as 802.11ax: the fastest Wi-Fi standard in existence. At the moment, most of us are on Wi-Fi 5.

That means a significant jump in Wi-Fi speed, assuming you or your local coffee shop have the broadband connection to support it, and a Wi-Fi 6 router all set up and ready to go. Depending on the setup you're connecting to, you might see speeds get doubled at least, with potential improvements that are much greater.

The 5G waiting game

Like 5G, Wi-Fi 6 is about more than just speed: it's about reliability and capacity as well. The incoming standard, which should start to gain widespread adoption in 2019, can provide more stable connections and support more devices simultaneously (very helpful for your growing smart home army of gadgets).

And what of 5G? We had previously heard that a 5G iPhone wouldn't arrive until 2020, but comments made by Apple executive Tony Blevins in an antitrust trial involving Qualcomm suggest the company is weighing up its options for which 5G chips to use.

5G chips from MediaTek and Samsung are at least being considered, Blevins confirmed, though whether or not a decision has been made isn't clear. There was no indication when these 5G chips would get used either, so it sounds as though iPhone fans might have to wait another year before this particular cellular upgrade arrives.