New 5G modem consumes less power
Let's start with the news you will notice in your smartphone in the short term. Qualcomm has unveiled a new 5G modem, the X105. This is the company's fifth-generation 5G chip, and this time it's mainly about saving power. The associated transmitter consumes up to 30 per cent less power than its predecessor and is also 15 per cent more compact. So good news for the battery life of your next smartphone with a Snapdragon chipset.
WiFi 8 is already here, while WiFi 7 is still fresh
Just got yourself a router with WiFi 7? Then Qualcomm is already one step ahead. With the FastConnect 8800, the company is showing the first chip ready for WiFi 8. The promises are not wrong: twice as fast connection speeds and a range that reaches up to three times as far as in previous generations.
In practice, that would mean that soon you will have a stable connection in every nook and cranny of your home. But fair is fair, it will be some time before you notice any of that as a consumer. The chip is initially aimed at smart devices and business applications. Qualcomm expects to launch the first products with WiFi 8 in late 2026.
Besides WiFi 8, the chip also offers support for Bluetooth 7.0 and a new technology called Bluetooth HDT. The latter is a major upgrade over the current Bluetooth LE and allows for faster wireless file transfers.
6G to arrive in 2029
Qualcomm has formed a coalition with a number of partners to get 6G off the ground. By 2028, the standards and specifications should be fixed so that the first commercial 6G networks can be rolled out in 2029.
What exactly 6G will mean for you as a user is frankly still a bit vague. Qualcomm talks about networks built entirely around artificial intelligence, suitable for smart devices and services that don't even exist today. Think devices that perform tasks for you independently. It sounds promising, but it's still future music for now.
