Qualcomm incorporated confirmed the launch of the Worlds first 5G modem with, ‘the Snapdragon X55’. The company had first announced its 5G modem in 2016, the Snapdragon X50 and the Snapdragon X55 as the second generation of this technology today.
Along with the launch of the modem, the company also announced the launch of the mmWave antenna module which is the counterpart that allows the modem to function in the first place. The antenna completes Qualcomm’s mmWave 5G lineup in addition to its existing sub-6 GHz antenna and other modules.
Snapdragon X55 is the first announced modem to support 100 MHz envelope tracking technology, and adaptive antenna tuning for 5G sub-6 GHz, designed for power-efficient connectivity for the next generation of smartphones and mobile devices.
Snapdragon X55 is designed to bring 5G to a broad range of devices including premium smartphones, mobile hotspots, Always Connected PCs, laptops, tablets, fixed wireless access points, extended reality devices, and automotive applications.
The Snapdragon X55 5G modem pairs with the newly announced 5G mmWave antenna module (QTM525), a new single-chip 14nm RF transceiver for 5G sub-6 GHz and LTE, and sub-6 GHz RF front-end modules to deliver the next generation modem-to-antenna solution for all major spectrum bands, helping customers to build 5G devices quickly, and at global scale.
The comprehensive modem-to-antenna solution is designed to enable OEMs to quickly and cost-effectively develop complex 5G multimode smartphones and mobile devices for virtually any 5G network or region in the world. This can allow consumers to enjoy fiber-like browsing speeds and low latency, delivered wirelessly over 5G, for the next generation of connected applications and experiences, including connected cloud computing, highly responsive multiplayer gaming, immersive 360-degree video, and instant apps.
“Qualcomm Technologies is spearheading the first wave of 5G launches with our first generation 5G mobile platform. With significant evolution in capabilities and performance, our second generation commercial 5G modem is a true testament to the maturity and leadership of our 5G technology. We expect our 5G platform to accelerate 5G commercial momentum and power virtually all 5G launches in 2019 while significantly expanding the global 5G rollout footprint,” said Cristiano Amon, president, Qualcomm Incorporated.
Qualcomm has developed the new chips with the hope that this will fuel the widespread use of 5G phones and sim cards over the year.
“This year, virtually every major Android [phone maker] will be launching a phone with 5G,” said Ignacio Contreras, head of 5G marketing for Qualcomm.
Keep in mind that this launch was announced just a day before Samsung is set to announce their new flagship Galaxy series phones. Since, Samsung and Qualcomm publicly committed to partnering up in working towards building a 5G phone this year, it can be assumed that Samsung will be unveiling a 5G version among their phones in the release this week.
All in all, the 5G reality is becoming more realistic with the creation of these chips and the possibility of the creation of 5G phones as well.
