Qualcomm unveiled today their Snapdragon 855 chipset, connected through the Snapdragon X24 modem. It’s the world’s first commercial 5G mobile platform, designed for premium-tier flagship devices. Boasting sub-6 GHz and mmWave support, the company’s 4th-generation on-device AI engine, true 4K HDR video capture, cinema-grade photography capabilities, and a 3D Sonic Sensor — all packaged into a a 7-nanometer chip. “The Snapdragon 855 will define the premium tier in 2019,” said Alex Katouzian, SVP and GM of Mobile for Qualcomm Technologies. Read more for another video explaining the technical details and additional information.
For those curious about the 3D Sonic Sensor, it’s essentially an under-display fingerprint sensor using ultrasonic echoes to create a three-dimensional master, while still being able to read through liquids or particles on the finger for verification. Where’s the Snapdragon X50? It will be available as an auxiliary component, meaning you’ll have to install both Snapdragon 855 processor with its integrated X24 modem and then the separate X50 modem. On the bright side, this setup will be adaptable for Wi-Fi 6 with improved 802.11ax dual-band and 802.11ay 60GHz reach plus LTE Category 20 speeds on the X24 for up to 2Gbps downlink.
“Katouzian also pointed out that the 855 was designed to trounce last-generation chipsets when it comes to AI performance — we can expect up to 3x performance gains when it comes to these complex computations. It’s still relatively early days for software and services fueled by machine learning, but the shift in the industry seems almost palpable at this point,” reports Engadget.
