Qualcomm: phones with new AI-powered 5G modem to start shipping in late 2022

Qualcomm's Snapdragon X70 Modem-RF System.

Qualcomm has finally revealed more details about the Snapdragon X70 Modem-RF System after first teasing it at MWC 2022.

In a nutshell, the new modem component for Qualcomm’s mobile processors supports 5G connectivity with the help of an integrated AI processor, making it the world’s first. The MWC 2022 announcement talked about the Snapdragon X70 Modem-RF from a specifications perspective, but the 5G Summit in May 2022 shared more about the features built into the chip.

Features include Qualcomm Smart Transmit 3.0, an improved system-level power management feature that averages power transmission across 2G to 5G networks, mmWave 5G, Wi-Fi 6/6E and 7, as well as Bluetooth radios. The improvements will see better uplink speeds and reliability across a mobile device’s antennas.

It’s also capable of mmWave 5G connection without relying on a 5G sub-6GHz anchor network, offering up to 8Gbps peak speeds. Even so, the Snapdragon X70 Modem-RF System can still get 6Gbps peak speeds with 5G sub-6GHz carrier aggregation with three TDD channels.

Qualcomm also said that the Snapdragon X70 Modem-RF is currently sampling to customers, and smartphone users can expect to see phones with the new 5G modem by late 2022.

Source: Qualcomm