Apple Doubles 5GHz Wi‑Fi Bandwidth to 160MHz on Eligible Wi‑Fi 6E iPads and Macs

Overview

• Apple’s iPadOS 26.2 and macOS Tahoe 26.2 expand the maximum 5GHz channel width to 160MHz for select Wi‑Fi 6E devices, per updated platform specs.
• Supported hardware includes M4 iPad Pro, M3 iPad Air, A17 Pro iPad mini, MacBook Pro models from M2 through M5, and M2–M4 MacBook Air models.
• These devices were previously capped at 80MHz on 5GHz, so the change can enable throughput approaching 6GHz peak rates in ideal conditions.
• Users will only see faster speeds on 5GHz if their Wi‑Fi 6 or 6E routers and settings allow 160MHz channels; 80MHz‑limited setups will not benefit.
• Even with the wider 5GHz channels, 6GHz networks still provide less congestion and more spectrum than 5GHz where available.