Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon X70 5G modem with AI processor and 10Gbps download speeds

MWC 2022, the biggest mobile event of the year, is underway in Barcelona, ​​and it’s already seeing new product announcements from Samsung, Realme, and many more. And now, Qualcomm, one of the largest mobile chip manufacturers, has unveiled its latest Snapdragon X70 5G modem at the show. This modem supports both sub-6GHz and mmWave frequencies and is the world’s first modem to feature a 5G AI processor and 5G download speeds of up to 10 Gbps.

Qualcomm Snapdragon X70 5G announced

The Snapdragon X70 5G modem comes as the successor to the Snapdragon X65 that powers the recently launched Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 flagship chipset. Qualcomm says the Snapdragon X70 5G is “the world’s only comprehensive 5G modem RF system family capable of supporting all commercial 5G bands from 600 MHz to 41 GHz.” This will allow mobile phone manufacturers to partner with carriers to provide the 5G band coverage needed by next-generation mobile phones.

The highlight here is the world’s first modem RF system with Qualcomm 5G AI processor onboard. This will enable chipmakers to introduce advanced features like the Qualcomm 5G AI Suite. According to a press release , it brings optimizations for “improved speed, coverage, latency, mobility, link robustness, and power efficiency.”

The 5G AI suite is important for telcos, offering features such as AI-based channel condition feedback, mmWave beam management, AI-based network selection, and adaptive antenna tuning for faster speeds and better coverage. Coming to the key specs of the new Snapdragon X70 5G modem, you get 4x downlink carrier aggregation, uplink carrier aggregation, 5G dual-SIM dual-active (DSDA) , and standalone mmWave support.

Additionally, Snapdragon X70 5G, like its predecessor , features peak upload speeds of up to 3.5 Gbps and download speeds of up to 10 Gbps . This is Qualcomm’s second modem RF system to support Gigabit 5G. But that’s not all. The chipmaker also offers 60% higher power efficiency with Qualcomm 5G PowerSave Gen 3 combined with a 4nm baseband process.

Although Qualcomm hasn’t explicitly mentioned it, we all know that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will be equipped with the new Snapdragon X70 5G modem RF system. The company says commercial mobile devices equipped with the modem will be available by the end of 2022. Therefore, we will keep an eye on further information and look forward to the auction and commercial deployment of 5G spectrum in India by August 15, as rumored.