5G networks have provided high speeds and bandwidth for smartphones for years, but not for wearables. That’s expected to change next year, as a new Qualcomm modem will make it possible to connect your smartwatch or other wearables to next-generation 5G mobile networks.
On Wednesday, Qualcomm unveiled its Snapdragon X35 modem chipset that will connect handheld devices to 5G networks, replacing older modems that connect gadgets to slower 4G LTE. Devices will have connection speeds as fast or faster while consuming less power, helping designers connect devices—from wearables to mixed reality glasses—to 5G.
Qualcomm hasn’t confirmed any products that will use the X35, but said the first set of devices to use it will arrive in the first half of 2024. Some of these could be consumer products like smartwatches, while others could be of commercial use such as in high-tech medical wearables or industrial sensors. The X35 may even end up in lower-end laptops like Chromebooks to connect to 5G networks.
“These applications require extremely small form factors, very high energy efficiency and simplicity of design, so [device manufacturers] it can actually tailor the product to those form factors,” Qualcomm senior director of engineering Guatam Sheoran told a briefing.
This modem is likely to appear in mid-range portables and IoT devices rather than premium phones. It’s not as powerful as, say, the X70 modem included in the latest Samsung S23 phones, which is capable of multi-gigabit download speeds. Instead, the X35 has a maximum download speed of 220 Mbps, which is still more than fast enough to handle the needs of wearables and IoT devices and provide 5G benefits of wider bandwidth and lower latency , Qualcomm said. This fits moderately priced devices that don’t need top-tier connectivity, which Qualcomm calls 5G NR-Light, or reduced capacity (RedCap).
In addition to speed, devices with Qualcomm’s smaller form factor modem will benefit from the increased bandwidth of 5G compared to 4G LTE. The X35 connects to multi-spectrum 5G frequencies in C-band, CBRS, 3.5 GHz and 4.9 GHz, which offer faster download speeds than low-end 5G but a larger coverage area than ultra-fast millimeter wave . The X35 can also fall back to 4G LTE if 5G connectivity becomes unstable.