More details about Apple’s upcoming flagship, the iPhone 6, surface. Recent information indicates that apart from the sapphire display and bezel-free design, Apple may also include a 5G Wi-Fi Chip with 802.11ac support and 2x2 Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO). The company has also been working on getting the more power efficiency over its device. What has Apple got in store for the new iPhone 6?

Broadcom introduced the new 5G Wi-Fi system-on-a-chip for mobile devices offering power efficiency, 802.11ac support and 2x2 MIMO last Feb 24. The technology will be available to both Apple's iPad and iPhone series.

Broadcom noted that the latest BCM4354 SoC offers twice data throughput including better Wi-Fi coverage—30 percent better than before. Despite the improved features, the company made it sure it stays energy efficient: 25 per cent over older 1x1 MIMO solutions.

"Smartphones have become the epicenter of today's digital life and consumers are demanding ever increasing levels of performance and sophistication," Dino Bekis, Broadcom's vice president of marketing, Wireless Connectivity Combos, explained in the company's press release.

"As a leader in wireless connectivity solutions, Broadcom continues to deliver unprecedented features and capabilities to this demanding and rapidly growing market," Mr Bekis added.

Broadcom claims that its latest chip will provide smart handsets with similar benefits found on tablets such as the iPad Air. This is possible through a technology similar to the multi-antenna 2x2 MIMO designs. Additionally, the company also has a beamforming technology that can enhance performance and range of devices despite congested environments.

The Broadcom BCM4354 refers to a dual-band combo chip for tablets and handsets supporting 5G Wi-Fi 2x2 MIMO, Rezence wireless charging support, Bluetooth (BT) 4.1/BLE as well as FM radio receiver. Other key features include the following:

  • 867 Mbps PHY rate/80MHz channel bandwidth
  • SDIO 3.0 and low-power PCIe host interfaces for WLAN; UART and USB for BT
  • Android-, Windows- and Chrome-based operating systems support
  • Low Density Parity Check Codes (LDPC), Space Time Block Coding (STBC), TurboQAM™ and high-accuracy indoor location.

These technologies will surely make their way to upcoming iOS devices, but the market will have to wait for Apple's announcement about the iPhone 6.