Apple’s Newest Macs Don’t Support Wi-Fi 7, But That Shouldn’t Be a Deal Breaker

Apple does not include Wi-Fi 7 support in its latest iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro models with M4 series chips, using the Wi-Fi 6E protocol instead. But for most people, this shouldn’t be a big concern when considering buying a new Mac in late 2024.

Wi-Fi 7, also known as IEEE 802.11be, promises theoretical speeds up to four times faster than its predecessor, as well as reduced latency and improved management of multiple device connections. Its standout feature is Multi-Link Operation (MLO), which can combine various frequencies from different bands into a single link for potentially better performance and stability.

However, the current reality of Wi-Fi 7 adoption makes its absence from Apple’s new Macs less significant. Yes, the iPhone 16 series includes Wi-Fi 7 support, but Apple has limited the implementation to 160 MHz bandwidth instead of the full 320 MHz allowed by the standard. In other words, iPhone 16 models cannot take full advantage of Wi-Fi 7’s potential speed improvements.

More importantly, Wi-Fi 7 requires both compatible network equipment and devices to deliver its benefits. Manufacturers such as TP-Link, Asus, Netgear and Eero have introduced Wi-Fi 7 routers and mesh systems to the market. For example, TP-Link Archer BE900 And Deco BE95Asus’ RT-BE96U, Netgear’s Nighthawk RS700SAnd Eero’s Maximum 7 It is now among the models available to consumers.

Although the Wi-Fi Alliance recently launched its “Wi-Fi 7 Certified” program, consumer adoption is still in its infancy, and Wi-Fi 7 routers like the ones mentioned above remain relatively few and expensive, with limited practical benefits for most homes. offers. users currently running Wi-Fi 6 or 6E networks.

Current Wi-Fi 6E support on M4 Macs provides access to the already less congested 6GHz band, delivering solid performance for current networking needs. Granted, Wi-Fi 7 would future-proof Mac buyers, but its practical benefits won’t be widely available for some time.

In summary, for most Mac users, the lack of Wi-Fi 7 shouldn’t be a deciding factor when considering purchasing an M4 Mac. The technology is still in its infancy, and Wi-Fi 6E continues to deliver strong performance for typical computing tasks like video conferencing, cloud gaming, and high-definition streaming.