(Credit: Qualcomm)
Qualcomm’s next-gen 5G modem, unveiled today at MWC, will arrive in smartphones this year and into 2027, but we haven't yet heard which specific devices will sport it.
The Qualcomm X105 5G is Qualcomm’s fifth-gen 5G AI-focused modem, but it’s the first time we’ve seen it focus specifically on agentic AI. The upgrades offer better connectivity, which the company says is necessary to ensure that these agents are reliable and useful.
Qualcomm has also used similar tech on the modem's backend to enable those improvements. There are power savings, with a new radio frequency (RF) tech that promises 30% lower power consumption than the last-gen. It’ll also take up 15% less space, allowing for a smaller unit.
New sensing software can predict conditions and better “optimize” 5G connectivity, Qualcomm says. The modem also supports integrated NR-NTN, which is designed to provide 5G connectivity over satellite for voice, data, video, and more.
Don’t Forget the Wearables
Also at MWC, Qualcomm introduced a new Snapdragon Wear Elite chip for wearables. It claims a huge jump in single-core CPU performance, up five times compared with the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 2. The GPU is seven times faster and can offer up to 30% longer battery life.
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There's also a Neural Processing Unit (NPU) to boost AI performance, a tech that has become a mainstay on larger gadgets like phones and laptops, but we've yet to see it come to wearables. Qualcomm says this better powers what it calls "Personal AI experiences" on the device itself, whether that’s an AI pin, pendant, or other form factor.
It’s not clear which devices will use this new Qualcomm wearable chip, but the company has announced partnerships with Google, Motorola, and Samsung. Samsung uses its own Exynos chipsets in its smartwatches, but historically, we’ve seen Wear OS devices from Google and OnePlus feature an equivalent Qualcomm chip.
Could this be the modem Samsung will use in its upcoming smart glasses? Time will tell. Perhaps a Google Pixel Watch 5 or OnePlus Watch 4 will feature the Snapdragon Wear Elite.
Other announcements include Qualcomm FastConnect 8800 tech for improved speeds and range as part of its expansion into Wi-Fi 8. Qualcomm says it can offer speeds up to 11.6Gbps and up to three times the range of its previous tech.