Apple’s entire iPhone 17 range and the iPhone Air feature the company’s newly developed N1 wireless networking chip. In a recent interview with CNBC, the company elaborated on the distinctive benefits of the N1 more thoroughly than ever before.
## N1 Facilitates a Range of Features and Efficiency Enhancements Across iPhone 17 Range
When Apple revealed its most recent iPhone models, a shared attribute among all versions was the N1 wireless networking chip. N1 serves as Apple’s proprietary solution for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread. Essentially, N1 is to wireless connectivity what Apple’s C1 and C1X modems are to 5G cellular technology. This reflects Apple’s ongoing commitment to managing the entire silicon stack in its devices.
Upon the unveiling of the iPhone 17 series, Apple highlighted the following benefits of N1:
>The iPhone 17 range also introduces N1, a new wireless networking chip designed by Apple that supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread. Beyond enabling the latest wireless technology generation, N1 enhances the overall performance and dependability of features such as Personal Hotspot and AirDrop.
Improvements to Personal Hotspot and AirDrop are two significant advancements brought by N1. Both features can feel incredibly smooth when functioning reliably, which they usually do. However, such reliability can make occasional issues particularly frustrating. N1 is set to enhance each feature’s performance like never before.
According to a recent CNBC interview, Apple asserts that N1’s advantages extend even further. Tim Millet, VP of Platform Architecture, mentioned:
>“We are capable of co-designing our SoC, A19 Pro, alongside N1 to develop power management features that let us keep the application processor, the larger SoC A19 Pro, mostly inactive while the wireless is operational. However, we can silently integrate co-designed interfaces into that N1, allowing us to perform processing on the SoC at very low energy for background tasks. For instance, we can enable the device to track location with high precision, enabling your device to be more intelligent about your whereabouts.”
Arun Mathias, VP of Wireless Software Technologies and Ecosystems, further noted:
>“One aspect some people might not recognize is that your Wi-Fi access points actually assist your device in determining location, so you don’t need to rely on GPS, which consumes more power. By executing this more seamlessly in the background and reducing the need to activate the application processor frequently, we can achieve this much more efficiently.”
Power efficiency was evidently crucial for the iPhone Air, but it also seems to have contributed to battery enhancements in the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Speculation suggests that the N1 will also be introduced in two upcoming Apple Home products, potentially offering even greater benefits.
It’s still early in the adoption of N1, but this new wireless chip appears poised to have a significant influence in the coming years.
