WiFi 7 is the latest standard of WiFi, and it is probably the second-most touted technological feature of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra that is not related to physical specs or AI magic. But what exactly is WiFi 7? And does it necessarily make the S24 Ultra a more attractive buy?
What is WiFi 7?
The digital superhighway gets even wider with more lanes for data to stream through and higher speed limits. That is basically what WiFi 7 is. In other words, Wi-Fi 7 brings advancements in data rates, lower latency, and more reliable connections, which can directly impact the performance of Wi-Fi on smartphones.
While WiFi 6E made critical improvements such as the introduction of the new 6 Ghz band and a multitude of new transmission channels, WiFi 7 bumps this up further to introduce Multi-Link Operation. MLO, as it is abbreviated, is its newfangled way of increasing throughput and lower latency (further than WiFi 6E already did).
But apart from simply widening the bandwidth (speeds) once again, WiFi 7 has a specific focus on congested environments. Whether it's multiple devices on the same network, or multiple WiFi networks in the same local area, the new standard promises to virtually eliminate signal interference or delay issues.
Perhaps more importantly, WiFi 7 is theoretically designed to make wireless WiFi devices respond near-instantaneously. A very important improvement to the likes of, let’s say, cloud gaming.
Galaxy S24 Ultra and WiFi 7
According to a previous report by DigiTimes last 2022, it was predicted that the first batch of phones supporting the new WiFi Standard would arrive in 2024. While the Galaxy S24 series is effectively ahead of schedule, it still falls under the predicted release window. Thus we can conclude that the technology is mainly showcased as an early adopter feature.
Indeed, while not promoted as hard as other more prominent features, like its camera, for instance, WiFi 7 is still included in its primary technology upgrade package. It is, after all, well-supported by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, and is half the reason why the base S24 will not support it (Exynos 2400 does not support WiFi 7).
Is it Relevant Now?
To put it simply, no. WiFi 7 is hardly relevant right now for the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and should only be considered as a bonus feature for those considering to purchase this flagship unit. On paper, the upgrades are significantly huge, and the room for improvement widened significantly even when compared to the relatively recent WiFi 6E. However, for standard applications, even something as “old” as WiFi 5 is still very usable.
As implemented by Samsung, the intended purpose of WiFi 7 is mostly for technical future-proofing. In an ever-crowded tech space, the new standard would likely keep the wireless capabilities Galaxy S24 Ultra smooth for several years as the infrastructure continues to grow.
Also, newer peripherals that always require lower latencies, such as VR headsets, IoT-based controllers, and the increased prevalence of cloud gaming on mobile devices will help keep the device relevant for a long as technologically possible thanks to the updated wireless standard.
What is the effective range of WiFi 7? What is the effective range of WiFi 6? Just because you connect to a protocol doesn’t mean you’re getting the theoretical max speed. outside of 50′ in perfect conditions you’re getting WiFi 5 speeds. This is the same marketing, doesn’t work in the real world, garbage as the US Robotics 128K modem that trained down to 33.6 90% of the time.