Right before the madness of Mobile World Congress 2019 begins, Qualcomm's officially taken the wraps off the Snapdragon X55. The X55 is the company's second-generation 5G modem and will be at the heart of a lot of devices in the near future that can take advantage of 5G networks.
Taking a closer look at the modem, Qualcomm describes the X55 as follows:
Snapdragon X55 is a 7-nanometer single-chip integrated 5G to 2G multimode modem that supports 5G NR mmWave and sub-6 GHz spectrum bands with up to 7 gigabits per second (Gbps) download speeds and 3 Gbps upload speeds over 5G, and Category 22 LTE with up to 2.5 Gbps LTE download speeds.
Qualcomm says that the X55 supports "all major frequency bands", meaning that it'll be able to connect to any 5G network no matter if it's based on mmWave or sub-6GHz bands. Furthermore, the X55 is designed to support 4G networks in addition to 5G ones. According to Qualcomm, this is:
Enabling operators to accelerate 5G deployments by using their existing 4G spectrum holdings to deliver both 4G & 5G services dynamically.
In addition to the Snapdragon X55, Qualcomm also announced its 5G mmWave antenna module (aka QTM525). The QTM525 supports 5G sub-6GHz and LTE, in addition to sub-6GHz RF. The module is designed to work seamlessly with the Snapdragon X55 and should help companies create 5G-capable devices faster and easier than before.
In addition to smartphones, the X55 and this new module will help bring 5G speeds to tablets, Always Connected PCs, laptops, automobiles, and more.
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