Qualcomm unveils 5G NR-Light modem-RF system

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. has launched its Snapdragon X35 5G, claiming the first 5G NR-Light modem-RF system. 5G NR-Light falls between high-speed broadband devices and very low-bandwidth NB-IoT devices. With the Snapdragon X35’s streamlined architecture, 5G devices can be smaller and lower cost with reduced complexity and power consumption in smaller form factors, said Qualcomm.

“This lower cost option provides device makers with a long-term migration path to replace LTE CAT4+ devices, ultimately increasing 5G adoption and allowing for faster transition to a unified 5G network,” said Qualcomm.

(Source: Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.)

Addressing the need for mid-tier use cases, the Snadragon X35 with optimized RFIC and PMIC modules is said to offer a mix of capabilities in data rates, power consumption, complexity and footprint to develop new use cases such as entry-level industrial IoT devices, mass-tier fixed wireless access consumer premise equipment, mass-tier connected PCs, and first generation 5G consumer IoT devices such as direct-to-cloud AR glasses and premium wearables.

The Snapdragon X35 supports both LTE and 5G NR-Light, so it is both backwards compatible and future-proof. It supports dual-frequency GNSS (L1+L5) to offer precise positioning suited for new industrial use cases and applications and it supports all spectrum bands within sub-6GHz, FDD and TDD.

The modem-RF system also leverages several of Qualcomm’s technologies aimed at lower power consumption, lower latency, increased battery life, enhanced 5G coverage and improved uplink speeds. These include Qualcomm’s QET5100 envelop tracking, Smart Transmit technology, 5G Ultra-Low Latency Suite and 5G PowerSave Gen 4.

Key specs include:

• Cellular technology: 5G NR-Light, FDD, SA (standalone), TDD, sub-6 GHz, HD-FDD, LTE
• Number of antennas: 1, 2
• Peak upload QAM: 64 QAM
• Peak download QAM: 256 QAM
• Cellular modem-RF: 20-MHz bandwidth (sub-6 GHz)
• Calling services: VoLTE, VoNR
• Peak upload speed: 100 Mbits/s
• Peak download speed: 220 Mbits/s

Qualcomm also introduced the Snapdragon X32 5G modem-RF system, a modem-to-antenna solution that is designed to reduce design complexity and lower cost in NR-Light devices.

Sampling of the Snapdragon X35 and X32 are expected to begin in the first half of 2023. Commercial mobile devices should be launched by the first half of 2024.