Samsung’s Galaxy S10 will be one of the first smartphones to support the faster Wi-Fi speeds offered by Wi-Fi 6. Regulatory filings from Samsung, reported by Droid Life, reveal that three models of the upcoming phone will include support for the brand-new Wi-Fi standard.
So, what is this new standard and what does it mean to you? Well, Wi-Fi 6 is expected to increase speeds in homes and office networks where many devices are connected (for example, a house with lots of tablets, phones and smart gadgets), but those devices will need to be Wi-Fi 6-enabled to see any benefits.
Perhaps this new standard is one to watch for the future, as almost no one has a Wi-Fi 6 router yet and you will need one to take advantage of Wi-Fi 6’s improvements. So, most users will not be enjoying those speed gains for a while.
Still, if you’re choosing a new phone and you wish to future-proof it, this is something to bear in mind. There have been relatively few Wi-Fi 6 devices announced to date, but the Galaxy S10 suggests that this could be about to change. The phone likely comes with Qualcomm’s new top-of-the-line processor, the Snapdragon 855, which includes support for Wi-Fi 6. That chip isn’t being widely used yet, but it should end up in many of this year’s flagship Android phones, bringing some of the first Wi-Fi 6 devices to the market.
Three models are expected at launch – a standard S10, a larger S10 Plus, and a lower-cost S10E. A 5G version is also expected at a later date. Then, if you purchase a new router in the next couple of years, it’ll likely bring Wi-Fi 6 support to your home.
