Qualcomm kicked off MWC 2022 with a keynote from CEO Cristiano Amon. With the key SoC for 2022 unveiled late last year, the stars of the show are the new Snapdragon X70 modem, the FastConnect 7800 connectivity processor with WiFi 7 support, and Qualcomm’s initiatives beyond smartphones.
- Snapdragon X70 promises more efficiency with a new AI core.
- FastConnect 7800 brings WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3.
- The components are scheduled to hit the market in the second half of 2022.
The company places particular emphasis on its efforts in Always Connected PCs (ACPC), AR/XR/”Metaverse” and in the very lucrative automotive and industrial applications for processors and networking solutions.
Snapdragon X70 – the last Snapdragon for the iPhone?
Successor to the Snapdragon X65 modem found in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, the Snapdragon X70 represents Qualcomm’s new generation of 5G modems. With the same spectrum support and theoretical top speeds of 10 gigabits per second, it is different the new X70 modem with a new AI core.
According to Qualcomm, the 5G AI processor ensures more efficient use of resources, optimized beam management – useful for lower energy consumption -, intelligent network selection and antenna tuning. The result is “improvements in the double-digit percentage range,” coupled with Qualcomm’s third-generation “5G PowerSave” feature.
The Snapdragon X70 modem adds an AI processor to the chip for better efficiency. / © Qualcomm
One thing Qualcomm hasn’t mentioned: the Snapdragon X70 could be the last third-party modem to feature on the iPhone lineup. Tech writers expect Apple to start using its own 5G modems in its phones by 2023. Apple has been buying Intel technology for this since 2019.
The company expects to ship just 20 percent of Apple’s modems by 2023, also hinting at the upcoming launch of Cupertino’s first homegrown modem. Another possibility is that this year’s iPhone includes the first Apple modem, while Snapdragon continues to equip the current models, such as the iPhone 13 with X60 modem.
Regardless of speculation, we expect the Snapdragon X70 modem to launch in the second half of 2022, with commercial devices hitting stores before the end of the year.
FastConnect 7800 brings WiFi 7 and BT 5.3
On the other end of the connectivity spectrum, Qualcomm also announced its FastConnect 7800 controller. The company referred to the component as “the world’s first announced WiFi 7 product”.
WiFi 7 increases theoretical downlink speeds by four times, using techniques like Multi-Link Operation (MLO) that aggregate channels from different frequencies – similar to Carrier Aggregation (CA) in cellular networks. MediaTek tried to draw attention to itself and its own efforts at CES 2022 with live demonstrations, but didn’t announce any product at the time.
WiFi 7 couples both 5 and 6 GHz channels for improved latency and bandwidth. / © Snapdragon
WiFi 7 should be backward compatible with the current WiFi 6(E rel.2) standard and use the 2, 4, 5 and 6 GHz frequency bands. Thanks to MLO, Qualcomm calculates connection speeds of up to 40 GB/s (only theoretically, of course), which the manufacturers praise as ideal for AR/VR applications.
The new FastConnect 7800 controller also promises lower latency – less than 2ms according to Qualcomm – and offers support for Bluetooth 5.3, including dual Bluetooth compatibility for faster pairing and longer range. The component is expected to be released in the second half of 2022.
Important: WiFi 7 is not even in the draft stage yet. We currently expect that for November 2022 – ratification is not likely to take place until 2024.
“Metaverse”, certifications and more
Qualcomm also announced Snapdragon Connect. A badge/certification program for devices utilizing a combination of Snapdragon SoCs, modems, WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities for smartphones, PCs, XR/AR, automotive and wearable devices. Comparable to initiatives like Intel’s Centrino and Evo programs.
In order not to fall behind the Metaverse hypetrain, Qualcomm has relaunched its AR/XR initiatives under the keyword “Metaverse”. The company didn’t announce any new components, instead bolstering its new XR Labs in Europe, six technology and engineering research and development spaces announced earlier this month.
In the ARM computing space, Lenovo announced the first PC powered by the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3. The ThinkPad X13s is the culmination of a partnership announced since 2019. This aims to bring Always Connected PCs (ACPC) onto the market, which narrowly missed the hype Apple garnered by using ARM cores on its MacBooks.
ACPC: The buzzword for working from anywhere. / © NextPit
Lenovo’s business notebook is said to contain a 5G modem and Microsoft’s Pluton security processor. It’s worth noting that the 8cx Gen3 is still powered by ARM-designed Cortex cores – rather than the new Nuvia cores that are expected to launch later this year.
In (even) more lucrative fields, Qualcomm announced partnerships for the industrial IoT sector and the “Snapdragon Digital Chassis” platform. The initiative was announced at the last Qualcomm Tech Summit – but when it will be launched is anyone’s guess.
The Digital Chassis connects Snapdragon hardware with connected (cloud) services to support “enhanced security and immersive digital experiences that are upgradable throughout the lifetime of next-generation vehicles.” Hopefully these will last longer than the usual two or three years we see with current smartphones…
What do you think of Qualcomm’s announcements? Did you expect an update for the mid-range Snapdragon SoCs? Let us know what you think in the comments below.