Qualcomm has announced the new AI-driven Snapdragon X70 modem at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The modem is expected to deliver an improved 5G experience for mobile devices and tablets. Even though Qualcomm hasn’t confirmed it yet, the model will likely be used in the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset that is due to release this year. 

A successor to the Snapdragon X65, Qualcomm claims the new model is “the world’s first 5G A.I. processor.” The modem uses AI for its 5G capabilities while maintaining low latency and power efficiency in phones. In its statement, the company has said that the 5G PowerSave Gen 3 technology makes it 60 per cent more power efficient. 

The AI-based mmWave beam management increases its coverage. The baseband chip for the X70 is also the first to support every commercial 5G band from 500MHz to 415GHz, at the top of the mmWave spectrum. 

The Snapdragon X70 offers the download peak speed of 10 GB 5G just like the X65, but it now comes along with four times the downlink carrier aggregation, which makes it easier to reach these speeds. 

The modem supports both global 5G multi-SIM and Dual-SIM Dual Active in mobiles. The company has said that the modem will be launched in 5G devices by the end of the year. 

“Snapdragon X70 is an example of how we’re realising the full potential of 5G and making an intelligently connected world possible,” Durga Malladi, the senior vice president of Qualcomm’s 5G, Mobile Broadband and Infrastructure division, stated.