Among several Qualcomm new products and partnerships announced at the Mobile Worldwide Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. unveiled its much smarter 5th generation modem-to-antenna 5G solution. The new Snapdragon X70 is said to offer the first 5G artificial intelligence (AI) processor in a modem-RF system, delivering 10 Gigabit 5G downloads, 3.5 Gbits/s peak uploads, low latency, wide coverage, and high power efficiency.
The Snapdragon X70 builds on the previous X65, X60, X55, and X50 solutions, supporting all commercial 5G bands from 600 MHz to 41 GHz while maintaining the 10 Gigabit 5G peak download speed of its predecessor. It also provides an upgradeable architecture for fast commercialization of 5G Release 16 through software updates.
Qualcomm believes AI will help deliver breakthrough real-world 5G performance and with the introduction of the Qualcomm 5G AI suite, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon modem-RF system got a lot smarter, improving speeds, coverage, latency, mobility, link robustness, and power efficiency. Designed for AI-powered optimization of sub-6 GHz and mmWave 5G links, the 5G AI suite includes AI-based channel-state feedback and dynamic optimization, AI-based network selection for improved mobility and link robustness, and the first AI-based mmWave beam management for greater mobility and coverage.
The suite also features AI-based adaptive antenna tuning for up to 30 percent improved context detection for higher average speeds and coverage, said Qualcomm. It also dynamically optimizes transmit and receive paths across different user scenarios and signal conditions to reduce power consumption and extend battery life.
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The Snapdragon X70 also debuts the new Qualcomm 5G PowerSave Gen 3, coupled with a 4-nm baseband process, and advanced modem-RF technologies such as Qualcomm QET7100 Wideband Envelope Tracking, for greater power savings. The 5G PoweSave Gen 3 delivers up to 60 percent improved power efficiency compared to configurations with it disabled, according to Qualcomm.
Another advanced capability includes the Qualcomm 5G Ultra-Low Latency Suite, which allows OEMs and operators to minimize latency for hyper-responsive 5G user experiences and applications, said the company.
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The modem-RF system also claims the first 4× downlink carrier aggregation across TDD and FDD, mmWave-sub-6 aggregation. Other features include uplink carrier aggregation and switched uplink support across TDD and FDD, a global 5G multi-SIM including Dual-SIM Dual-Active (DSDA) and mmWave support, and standalone mmWave support, which allows MNOs and service providers to deploy services such as fixed wireless access and enterprise 5G, without needing sub-6 GHz spectrum, said Qualcomm.
Click for a larger image. (Source: Qualcomm)
The company also introduced the new Snapdragon Connect badge for devices using Qualcomm’s best possible connectivity technologies. This includes 5G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth technologies.
Sampling of the Snapdragon X70 is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2022. Commercial mobile devices with the Snapdragon X70 are expected to be launched by late 2022.
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