Samsung Galaxy S10 could have stronger and faster Wi-Fi than iPhone XS

All three models in the Samsung Galaxy S10 line will be compatible with Wi-Fi 6, the next version of the wireless internet networking tech, according to an FCC filing spotted by Droid Life. While there aren’t many Wi-Fi 6-supporting routers out there to benefit from it yet, clearly Samsung is looking to future-proof its next flagship phone.

If ‘WiFi 6’ sounds new, that’s because it is: the Wi-Fi Alliance, a group shepherding the implementation of WiFi standards, announced it was changing its nomenclature last fall to clarify which version is the latest and greatest. The last to be released in 2014, 802.11ac, has been retroactively renamed Wi-Fi 5. The next was slated to be 802.11ax, but that’s now Wi-Fi 6, and certification for it should start in Q3 2019.

Just what will the new standard achieve? In short, better performance and faster speeds. But individual devices shouldn’t see the most benefits; rather, Wi-Fi 6 improves networks with plenty of connected devices.

In other words, this won’t necessarily make the Samsung Galaxy S10 noticeably faster than other phones on Wi-Fi. It’ll just help it play nicer in crowded home networks.

Wi-Fi 6, only on the latest chips?

True, the S10 would technically be quicker than phones that don’t support Wi-Fi 6, but you’d need a router that supports Wi-Fi 6 to begin with.

But given that the S10 will pack a Snapdragon 855 chip, which packs in support for Wi-Fi 6, it won’t be surprising when other phones launch this year with support for the new Wi-Fi version.

Whether that means phones will require the latest-and-greatest processors to take advantage of Wi-Fi 6 is unclear just yet.