Both MediaTek MT7921 and Intel AX210 are Wi-Fi and Bluetooth combination cards. In this post we compare the main differences between the two products and look at some real world comparisons as well.
Key Specifications
The table below shows the main specs for both Wi-Fi cards.
| Specification | MT7921 | AX210 |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi technology | Wi-Fi 6 | Wi-Fi 6E |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 | 5.3 |
| 2.4 GHz conducted power | +22.5 dBm | +16 dBm |
| 5 GHz conducted power | +23 dBm | +11 dBm |
| Bluetooth conducted power | +11.4 | +11.5 dBm |
Summary of differences
Wi-Fi 6 vs 6E
By implementing Wi-Fi 6E technology, the Intel AX210 supports the new 6 GHz frequency band. This band has 1200 MHz of new contiguous spectrum. This is twice as wide as the 5 GHz band.
Wider bandwidths quite simply translate to faster throughput.
Transmitted Power
The Mediatek part has higher levels of Wi-Fi transmit power which translates to longer ranges. Power is specified in dBm (use this calculator to convert from dBm to Watt)
Use the dBm to EIRP calculator to convert transmitted power to radiated power. This takes the antenna gain into account.
Once the EIRP is calculated it can be used to find the Wi-Fi range
Bluetooth Version
The Intel part supports a newer version of Bluetooth (5.3) relative to an older version (5.2) in the Mediatek.
The main improvements in 5.3 relative to 5.2 are:
- Device performance,
- User experience and
- Power consumption.
Real-World Tests
Reddit user fadilke2 ran some real world tests to compare the 7921 with the 210. With a slower router that could support only 12.5 MB/s, they found the following speeds with each card:
- MT7921 – 7 MB/s
- AX210 – 12 MB/s
As well, in both cases, turning Bluetooth On impacted the speed significantly.
- MT7921 – 1.3 MB/s (with occasional disconnects)
- AX210 – 8 MB/s
The 210 had better performance overall; both with and without interference due to Bluetooth.
MT7921 vs MT7921K
There is a newer version of the Mediatek card with suffix ‘K’. The MT7921K supports Wi-Fi 6E. The version of Bluetooth is however 5.2 and it has not been upgraded to 5.3.
The technologies included in this new variant are: 2×2 802.11ax (WiFi 6E) + BT/BLE.
Related posts
References
[1] Intel AX210 Test Report FCC ID: PD9AX210NG
[2] MediaTek MT7921 Test Report FCC ID: RAS-MT7921