In Barcelona, Qualcomm has its sights set on Wi-Fi 7 and announces a new evolution of its 5G modem. These two novelties will be available before the end of the year.
Forget Wi-Fi 6and and the Snapdragon X65, instead of Wi-Fi 7 and the Snapdragon X70 chip. The MWC 2022 is in full swing and remains more than ever the essential show for the mobile sector. Qualcomm is taking this opportunity to present new technologies that will be available from the second half of the year. The American giant does not want to waste time and leave the field open to competitors like MediaTek regarding Wi-Fi 7.
As Wi-Fi 6 slowly takes hold and Wi-Fi 6e seeks to establish itself, version 7 of the wireless standard is almost here. Qualcomm announces FastConnect 7800, a first solution for Wi-Fi 7 (or IEEE 802.11be) which will be available in the second half of 2022. It promises a performance boost with a maximum speed of 5.8 Gbit/s (theoretical); as well as an almost zero latency, less than 2 ms. A promising solution that will exploit the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz frequency bands. Wi-Fi 7 is also capable of aggregating four streams on the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands, thanks to a technology called High Band Simultaneous (HBS). Thus, it is possible to use channels with a width of 320 MHz in the 6 GHz band or 240 MHz in the 5 GHz band.
Qualcomm bets on Wi-Fi 7 even before its certification
Regarding the 2.4 GHz band, Qualcomm explains that it is reserved for Bluetooth and low-bandwidth Wi-Fi. The FastConnect 7800 solution can also rely on 4-Stream (2×2 + 2×2) Dual-Band Simultaneous (DBS), extended to high bands with the arrival of Wi-Fi 6e. Concretely, a device connecting to a Wi-Fi 6 or 6e access point (in 2×2) such as a router can establish another connection (in 2×2 in the 5 and 6 GHz bands) for another device, such as a mixed reality headset. This approach should improve performance by increasing throughput and reducing latency.
In addition to speeds and latency, Wi-Fi 7 promises to be less energy-intensive. According to Qualcomm, consumption is reduced by 30 to 50% depending on use. Compatible with Bluetooth 5.3, FastConnect 7800 will be available from the second half of 2022. A very close release when Wi-Fi 7 does not really exist and its predecessors are not yet essential. In France, Wi-Fi 6 has been progressing since 2020 while Wi-Fi 6e has experienced a delay in switching on. Expected in the spring of 2021, the standard was not officially authorized in France until last December.
For Wi-Fi 7, which currently responds to the name 802.11be, it will probably be necessary to wait until early 2024 before it is certified. In order not to fall behind, Qualcomm or MediaTek are already positioning themselves.
Snapdragon X70: the 5G chip… of the iPhone 15?
5G is experiencing strong growth around the world. Most new smartphones are now compatible and Qualcomm is now fine-tuning its solution. Just over two years after its first 5G modem, the chipmaker is already reaching its fifth generation with the Snapdragon X70. Successor to the Snapdragon X65, the modem intends to rely on artificial intelligence to help 5G take a new step.
AI for more efficient 5G
If the improvement in performance is regularly put forward by Qualcomm, this new chip relies above all on efficiency. Like the X65, the Snapdragon X70 continues to offer speeds of up to 10 Gbit/s against 7.5 Gbit/s for the X55 or X60. In upload, we expect a speed of up to 3.5 Gbit/s. The novelty is to be found on the side of the neural motor; an AI processor that will work on improving performance in 5G. Its presence will optimize connections to increase speeds, reduce latency and ensure better energy efficiency.
The objective is to erase certain shortcomings of 5G thanks to solutions such as the AI Suite or 5G PowerSave technology from 3and generation of Qualcomm. According to the American foundryman, it would make it possible to benefit from an energy efficiency gain of up to 60%. An interesting promise that could help the autonomy of our future smartphones. The modem supports all 5G frequency bands, from 600 to 41 GHz.
Qualcomm will provide the first samples of Snapdragon X70 in the second half of 2022. The first smartphones equipped with this modem would see the light of day before the end of the year. The iPhone 15 could benefit from this chip, unless the Apple brand finally integrates its own chip. Regarding the iPhone 14, it should be equipped with the Snapdragon X65 that we presented to you last year.
