At the 4G/5G Summit, Qualcomm announced today the Qualcomm Snapdragon X50 5G modem, the Snapdragon 653, 626 and 427 chipsets, along with an expanded connected camera portfolio. Qualcomm's First 5G Modem Solution

Qualcomm's first commercial 5G modem chipset solution, the Snapdragon X50 5G modem, will initially support operation in millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum in the 28GHz band. It will employ Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna technology with adaptive beamforming and beam tracking techniques, which facilitates sustained mobile broadband communications in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) environments. With 800 MHz bandwidth support, the Snapdragon X50 5G modem is designed to support peak download speeds of up to 5 gigabits per second.

Designed to be used for multi-mode 4G/5G mobile broadband, as well as fixed wireless broadband devices, the Snapdragon X50 5G modem can be paired with a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with an integrated Gigabit LTE modem and interwork cohesively via dual-connectivity.

With the Snapdragon X50 5G modem, operators deploying mmWave 5G networks can now work closely with QTI to conduct lab tests, field trials and early network deployments.

Incorporating the Snapdragon X50 5G modem in devices on a live 5G network can yield insight into the challenges of integrating emerging technologies in form-factor accurate devices. QTI will utilize these insights to help accelerate the standardization and commercialization of 5G New Radio (NR), the global standard for 5G.

For consumers, enhanced mobile broadband supported by 5G will bring immediacy between mobile users and cloud services, improving media generation and offering even faster access to information. Additionally, the proliferation of 5G technology can make it more cost-effective and easier for multi-gigabit Internet service to reach more homes and businesses.

The Snapdragon X50 5G platform will include the modem, the SDR051 mmWave transceivers, and the supporting PMX50 power management chip. Qualcomm expects to start sampling the Snapdragon X50 5G modem in the second half of 2017. The first commercial products that will integrate the Snapdragon X50 5G modem are expected to be available during the first half of 2018.

New Snapdragon 600 and 400-Tier Processors

Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 653, Snapdragon 626 and Snapdragon 427 processors are designed to deliver higher levels of processing performance than their predecessors. All three new processors are designed to support Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology, designed to deliver power up to 4X faster compared to traditional charging methods. In addition, support for dual camera has been extended from the Snapdragon 800 tier to the Snapdragon 600 and 400 tiers.

Each chipset supports the following modem features:

• X9 LTE, with Cat 7 downlink speeds up to 300Mbps, and Cat 13 uplink speeds up to 150Mbps, designed to provide users with a 50 percent increase in maximum uplink speeds over the X8 LTE modem.
• LTE Advanced Carrier Aggregation with up to 2x20 MHz in the downlink and uplink
• Support for 64-QAM in the uplink
• Call clarity and higher call reliability with the Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) codec on VoLTE calls.

Qualcomm says that over the past 12 months, there have been more than 400 OEM designs based on the Snapdragon 600-tier chipsets.

Snapdragon 600 and Snapdragon 400 features:

• The Snapdragon 653 processor not only features an increase in CPU and GPU performance over the Snapdragon 652, but also doubles the addressable memory (RAM) from 4GB to 8GB. The Snapdragon 653 is pin and software compatible with Snapdragon 650 and 652.
• The Snapdragon 626 features a CPU performance increase over the Snapdragon 625. It also features Qualcomm TruSignal antenna boost, designed to improve signal reception in congested areas. The Snapdragon 626 is pin and software compatible with Snapdragon 625, and software compatible with the Snapdragon 425, 427, 430, and 435 processors.
• The Snapdragon 427 delivers a CPU and GPU performance increase over the Snapdragon 425. It is the first chipset to bring TruSignal to the Snapdragon 400 tier of processors, designed to deliver powerful antenna tuning to this high volume line of processor solutions. The Snapdragon 427 is pin and software compatible with Snapdragon 425, 430 and 435, and software compatible with Snapdragon 625 and 626.
  

The Snapdragon 653 and 626 chipsets are expected to be commercially available by the end of 2016. The Snapdragon 427 chipset is expected to be in commercial devices in early 2017.

New solutions for connected smart cameras

Qualcomm has expanded its portfolio of technologies to support a new generation of video and imaging devices. The Qualcomm Snapdragon connected camera portfolio includes a suite of camera platforms featuring enhanced hardware and software capabilities for on-camera deep learning and video analytics, 4K HEVC video encoding, support for the Linux operating system, connectivity options including 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and features for hardware-based security.

Updates to the platforms include:

• Snapdragon 625 processor: Built on a 14 nm process, the Snapdragon 625 is designed to use up to 25% less power compared to its predecessor in the camera chipset portfolio, while also designed to deliver 40% more CPU DMIPs processing with GPU and DSP for advanced imaging and deep learning processing. Thee processor features dual image signal processors for up to 24MP images and 4K video at 30fps HEVC capture, octa-core 64-bit CPU, an integrated X9 LTE modem for peak speeds up to 300 Mbps download/100 Mbps upload, and support for Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth and GNSS / location. The integrated Qualcomm Adreno 506 GPU is engineered to allow VR/360 cameras to process fisheye dewarping and stitching using inputs from multiple image sensors. The Snapdragon 625 also is designed to provide hardware-based security features including secure boot, cryptographic hardware engines, trusted execution environment, and storage with security capabilities and secure key provisioning.
  
• Linux support: Qualcomm Technologies’ connected camera roadmap now supports Linux in addition to Android. This allows access to a broad embedded software ecosystem and further security capabilities.
• Video analytics manager API and connected camera Software Development Kit (SDK): A set of camera processing and analytics software capabilities including multi-stream, overlay, video HDR, temporal noise reduction, low bit rate codecs, voice activation, face detection and recognition, intelligent motion detection and object tracking.
• Snapdragon 625 IP camera reference design: All of the above were brought together in a 4K connected camera hardware/software platform.

The Snapdragon 625 IP camera reference design is anticipated to be available for select OEMs by the end of 2016, and is expected to be available in commercially available cameras shortly thereafter.