Enlarge / The tilt of the numerical right-most block may not accurately reflect the degree to which we, collectively, are upgraded to Wi-Fi 7 at this stage. (credit: Getty Images)

Wi-Fi 7 devices can now be certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance. The new standard can provide higher throughput, linked wireless bands for better stability, and reduced latency. It also can make people who skipped over Wi-Fi 6E feel like they made the smart move.

Wi-Fi 7 has already existed as a thing that expensive, new routers claimed to offer, but now it's a certification they can claim . Wi-Fi 7 devices can use 320 MHz of channel bandwidth, compared to the typical 160 MHz used by Wi-Fi 5, 6, and 6E gear. The new standard is the first to offer Multi-Link Operation, which can bond a connection across 2.4, 5, and 6 GHz connections, offering greater speed and more reliable connections when moving in and out of range of various bands.

Intel's explainer for what Wi-Fi 7 means, compared to prior generations. (credit: Intel)

As Intel puts it in its explainer , earlier Wi-Fi channels were like moving vans that could "only take one highway at a time and choose alternate routes if they run into traffic. However, Wi-Fi 7 semi-trucks will simultaneously operate across two highways to get more boxes to the destination more quickly."

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  The top of a 16-inch MacBook Pro sitting on a table, with the Apple logo visible [credit: Samuel Axon ]

One of the interesting side effects of Apple's move toward using its own silicon in the Mac is that the Mac update cycle now looks a lot more like the iPhone's: mostly predictable, regular updates that offer modest generation-to-generation boosts to performance and maybe a few additional refinements or new features.

That's very much the case with the 2023 MacBook Pro. For most intents and purposes, it is the 2021 MacBook Pro. The only difference is the inclusion of the new M2 Pro and M2 Max chips for boosted CPU, graphics, and machine learning performance over 2021's M1 Pro and M2 Max, plus some connectivity upgrades that directly address some of our very minor quibbles with the otherwise excellent 2021 models.

That said, the 2021 MacBook Pro was far from a disappointment when it launched, and the market hasn't changed enough in the past two years to make the mostly similar 2023 models any less attractive. These are still the best laptops you can buy for many use cases—provided you don't mind spending a small fortune, that is.

Enlarge / The four Nest Wifi Pro colors you can buy for your bird's-egg-style connectivity. From left: Linen, Snow, Fog, Lemongrass. (credit: Google)

Google's Nest Wifi Pro system, previously seen at the Federal Communications Commission and in accidental retail listings , has been made official . The system expands the wireless powers of a Nest mesh system and adds Thread and Matter support, but it can't work with older Nest Wifi hardware.

The big upgrade in the Pro system is Wi-Fi 6E , which makes use of newer spectrum space in the 6–7 GHz band, along with the common 2.4 and 5 GHz bands. For those living in a crowded Wi-Fi environment, 6E could mean better, faster connections, though at reduced range and with less wall and floor penetration than 2.4 GHz. If you have very new devices that work with Wi-Fi 6E, you'll immediately see the change. For most of us, at the moment, 6E is more future-proofing than signal-boosting, though each device that uses the newer standard takes some load off the network.

Google says that Nest Wifi Pro's router unit ($199) can cover up to 2,200 square feet per piece, which is 200 questionable feet more than the Eero Pro 6E and has a theoretical top speed of 5.4Gbps. Notably, each Wifi Pro piece comes with two 1 Gbps Ethernet ports, not just the router, allowing for both wired backhaul between multiple units and for connecting select devices via Ethernet (likely with the addition of a network switch). That's an improvement over the prior Wi-Fi 5-based Nest Wifi, which was an otherwise all-around decent performer in our benchmark testing .

Enlarge / We can't show you Google's likely new Nest Wifi router because it's confidential. But "white" and "spherical" are pretty good bets. (credit: Google (video still) )

Google has a new device awaiting approval at the FCC, and all signs point to it being an updated Nest Wifi router that not only addresses the notable lack of Wi-Fi 6 on its last model but leapfrogs ahead to Wi-Fi 6E.

In FCC documents made available yesterday , Google asked the FCC to keep confidential its schematics and operational details, including an "Internal Proprietary Antenna Solution consisting of 6 antennas." As pointed out by Android Police , the fillings also show support for the 6 GHz frequencies of Wi-Fi 6E . There are also the standard 2.4 and 5 GHz bands, Bluetooth Low-Energy, and the 2.4 GHz frequencies that smart home connection standard Thread relies upon.

The model number—A4R-G6ZUC—is akin to other Nest products, and 9to5Google says it has confirmed that this is the number for the next Nest Wifi router.