Chip Maker Qualcomm and New 5G Modem

Modern technologies made life easier for millions of people across the world. Importantly, 5G technology will help to solve many problems.

Recently, chip giant Qualcomm announced its third 5G modem. Interestingly, the company announced a new modem shortly after the first two. According to information released by the company, new Snapdragon X60 offer better speed as well as bigger battery life and overall performance of its already powerful 5G network.

It is worth mentioning that, compared with the previous versions of the 5G modem developed by the company, the new modem doesn’t have many dramatic changes. The purpose of X60 is to combine and leverage existing 5G technologies in smeller ways.

Moreover, Qualcomm highlighted the capability for sub-6GHz and mmWave combined for faster and more reliable speeds. Also, a potential sub-6GHz aggregation can improve speeds for the slower version of the network.

Additionally, Qualcomm also announced a new QTM535 mmWave antenna that will be part of the modem.

The question is whether Qualcomm will include it into its next-generation mobile processor, called Snapdragon 875.

However, it is unlikely that the X60 modem will become available until the end of 2020. It may take even longer until customers start using this new modem.

Qualcomm’s new modem and Apple

U.S. tech giant is long overdue of its first 5G iPhone lineup. Apple plans to use the QTM525 modem in its smartphones. Nevertheless, based on recent reports, Apple is studying other options, outside Qualcomm’s existing hardware.

According to Apple, the new QTM525 antenna is too large for its news devices. The Cupertino-based company plans to develop an in-house antenna system to solve this issue.

Apple had to reach an agreement with Qualcomm as Intel couldn’t provide 5G chips within Apple’s desired time frame.

Moreover, to tackle this issue, a famous tech company acquired Intel’s entire 5G modem business. As a result, Apple will control the whole process when it comes to creating 5G modems.

Apple’s main competitor in the smartphone industry, Samsung, signed a deal with Qualcomm. According to this agreement, Samsung will produce the X60 modem for its upcoming devices.

Qualcomm selected South Korean tech giant and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company for this role.

Moreover, this contract will help the tech giant to diversify its sources of income. In 2019, Samsung’s IT and Mobile Communications Division earned less money than in 2018. The company is trying to improve the situation, and the new contract will help to address this challenge.