This story is part of our coverage of IFA Berlin 2024
Qualcomm is doubling down on its investment with Microsoft’s Windows platform. With the company’s Snapdragon silicon found on a broad array of Android smartphones and tablet, Qualcomm is now launching its second generation of premium always-connected PC processors at the IFA trade show in Berlin.
The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G compute platform will be Qualcomm’s second system-on-a-chip architecture for Windows 10 devices that supports 5Gmobile broadband connectivity.
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“Working remotely is the new reality, and more businesses are looking to quickly and securely connect their employee base, accelerating the need for always on, always connected PCs that are thin, light and truly mobile, equipped with blazing fast 5G cellular and Wi-Fi 6 connectivity,” Qualcomm’s senior director of product management Miguel Nunes said in a statement.
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In essence, the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 platform makes many of the same promises as the first generation Snapdragon 8cx, but it adds generational improvements to power efficiency and performance.
For users accustomed to working with multi-display setups, the architectural upgrade also brings support for dual 4K displays at 60Hz, making the platform more competitive against traditional laptops running on Intel’s and AMD’s x86 architecture. Qualcomm’s existing chipsets could be found on devices like Microsoft’s Surface Pro X, which uses a custom ARM processor co-engineered with Microsoft.
According to Qualcomm, the new Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G delivers 50% greater system-wide performance and battery life than competing solutions. Qualcomm’s own metrics showed that its new platform boasts 18% better total system performance and 39% better productivity performance per watt, against Intel’s 10th-generation 15-watt Core i5 processor.
The company, however, did not provide data on the specific improvements the second-gen platform delivers over the original 8cx nor was comparison data available for Intel’s 11th-gen processors.
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Qualcomm’s ARM processors also come with artificial intelligence support. A.I. can be leveraged to always show eye contact being maintained during video conference calls and enhanced cybersecurity with faster threat detection, Qualcomm stated in a press presentation. The chipset supports cameras up to 32 megapixels, HDR video capture and playback up to 4K resolution, virtual surround sound audio with noise suppression technology for clearer calls, and support for dual 4K external monitors.
“With Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G, users will not have to sacrifice performance or longevity for connectivity or security,” the company stated in a press release, promising multi-day battery life. Essentially, the 8cx platform is designed to take on Intel’s Project Athena Ultrabooks.
And when paired with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X55 5G modem, it can add integrated mobile broadband support. Wi-Fi 6 support is also present with these chips.
Qualcomm stated that new commercial devices with the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G platform will be available later this year. At launch, Qualcomm’s platform will compete against Intel’s new 11th-generation mobile processors. The biggest complaint with the original 8cx is sluggish app performance. Hopefully, Qualcomm and Microsoft addressed slow performance when traditional Windows programs need to be emulated this go around to better compete against the upcoming generation of Mac computers running custom Apple silicon.
Qualcomm is bringing 5G chipsets to ultra-low-cost smartphones
Qualcomm is finally making 5G accessible across almost all smartphone price ranges. The company has announced its plans to launch a Snapdragon 4-series chipset that supports 5G next year. Phones with 4-series chips, like the Moto E7 Plus, generally come in at under $200.
The Snapdragon 4 series is specifically aimed at international markets, and the new chip will ideally support some of the first 5G phones accessible in those markets. According to Qualcomm, 5G networks are now available in 35 countries, and that number is likely to grow over the next few years.
New Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 chip means 5G phones will get much cheaper
Qualcomm has announced a new 6-series Snapdragon processor, the Snapdragon 690, destined for mid-range phones in the near future. Why should you care about it? Because it’s the first 6-series chip to support 5G, and that means the price of 5G phones is ready to tumble. By how much? For reference, the Nokia 5.3 has Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 665 inside, and can be purchased for 125 British pounds, or about $160, while the new Motorola Moto E has the Snapdragon 632 chipset and is yours for $149. Last year, Google used the Snapdragon 670 in the $399 Pixel 3a.
That’s a lot less than the entry-level 5G phones we see now which use the Snapdragon 765G processor, including the 549 British pounds (about $690) Motorola Edge, and the 399 British pound (about $500) TCL 10 5G. The new wave of cheap 5G phones which use the Snapdragon 690 could potentially reduce this cost to $400 or much less, based on comparable phones today.
Qualcomm says 2020 is the year 5G will finally go mainstream
Qualcomm is all-in on 5G and thinks you will be too soon enough. Sure, there's been skepticism about the newfangled mobile tech, but it won't have an impact on adoption rates. Two hundred million 5G smartphones will ship in 2020, said Cristiano Amon, president of Qualcomm, at the company's CES 2020 press conference Monday. And there will be 1 billion 5G connections by 2023, he added.
"I repeat: The best 4G smartphone you can buy today is a 5G smartphone," Amon said. And when it comes to that skepticism, Amon points to the history of networking tech in the U.S.
