Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X55 could bring blazing-fast 5G to laptops

By

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ahead of Mobile World Congress, Qualcomm unveiled Snapdragon X55, the world’s fastest 5G modem. While it promises to bring fast data connectivity to the next generation of 5G smartphones, Windows Central reports that the modem also holds potential in transforming Always Connected PCs — the ultraportable laptops and 2-in-1s which are powered by the ARM-based processors found inside your phone.

Recommended Videos

Though the market for 5G and even the Always Connected PC is still growing with consumers, the new Snapdragon X55 can provide download speeds of up to 7Gbps and upload speeds of 3Gbps. It also maintains multi-mode support for 5G, 4G and 2G networks for maximum compatibility. That beats out the speeds set by the Snapdragon X50 modem, which peaks out at 5Gbps download.

Related

Numbers aside, it means that heading into the future the incoming wave of new Always Connected PCs running with the latest Snapdragon 8cX processor and the Snapdragon X55 could get the similar connectivity benefits of 5G smartphones. On top of the impressive battery life already offered by Always Connected PCs, the potential for 5G  increases the future selling point for the devices falling under the currently struggling platform. Depending on which laptop makers choose to adopt the emerging technology, consumers would be able to download, stream videos, and enjoy other internet content on PCs faster than they would on 4G speeds or with Wi-Fi.

“With significant evolution in capabilities and performance, our second generation commercial 5G modem is a true testament to the maturity and leadership of our 5G technology,” Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon said in a statement. “We expect our 5G platform to accelerate 5G commercial momentum and power virtually all 5G launches in 2019 while significantly expanding the global 5G rollout footprint.”

Currently, there is just a small selection of Always Connected PCs which support 4G connectivity. That includes last generation Snapdragon 835 powered devices like HP’s Envy X2, or Lenovo’s Miix 630. A newer wave of Snapdragon 850 Always Connected PCs packing improved performance includes the Samsung Galaxy Book 2 and Lenovo’s Yoga C630. While offering all-day battery life, many reviewers have found these devices don’t show the same power as PCs with Intel processors, so the potential of 5G and the new Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X55 and the Snapdragon 8cX processor could be significant in the future.

Topics
Arif Bacchus
Arif Bacchus
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Arif Bacchus is a native New Yorker and a fan of all things technology. Arif works as a freelance writer at Digital Trends…

Editors’ Recommendations

Is 5G dangerous? We asked an expert
5G

As 5G rolls out across the nation, we're all looking forward to faster download speeds and reliable high-speed connectivity. One of 5G's biggest breakthroughs is harnessing millimeter wave (mmWave) spectrum for faster data speeds. But there are concerns this very high-frequency spectrum could pose adverse health effects for the public, including some very pervasive 5G conspiracy theories.

These kinds of concerns aren’t new -- consumer anxiety concerning whether radiofrequency radiation can increase the risk of cancerous tumors existed long before cell phone towers were even a thing. To get some concrete answers on the subject, we reached out to the U.S. Food and Drug Association (FDA), a government agency that is responsible for protecting public health through the control and supervision of not only food and medicine but also electromagnetic radiation emitting devices. We further supplemented those responses with information sourced from the American Cancer Society and the International Agency for Research on Cancer. So is 5G dangerous? Keep reading to find out.
What is radiofrequency (RF) radiation?

Read more
How 5G is changing journalism
best series finales the newsroom finale

There's little doubt that 5G is starting to touch every area of our lives -- from online classrooms to 5G-powered bots supplying medication to remote citizens. It’s no surprise then that 5G is also changing the way our newsrooms work. 
Once widely available, 5G tools and the faster speeds they deliver will help journalists in at least three ways, professor John Pavlik of Rutgers University. First, he says, “5G can enable journalists working in the field to report more effectively from their digital devices, particularly with regard to high-bandwidth news gathering, such as photogrammetry, and other immersive applications for augmented reality and virtual reality (e.g., volumetric video capture), as well as high-resolution video from mobile devices.”
Second, 5G can enable news organizations to operate effectively without relying on a central, physical newsroom by supporting high-speed internet file sharing. Finally, 5G can help improve newsrooms by supporting better engagement with the public.
The best example of how 5G has made journalism more effective can be seen with the latest collaboration between The New York Times and Verizon. In 2019, the two companies came together to build a 5G Journalism Lab. Tools born out of this collaboration include environmental photogrammetry, Beam, and Eclipse.
Environmental photogrammetry
“Environmental photogrammetry involves taking thousands of still photographs and stitching them together as one large 3D model, giving readers the ability to immersively navigate the space as if they were actually there,” explains Sebastian Tomich, senior vice president and global head of advertising and marketing solutions for The New York Times.
This technology was first used in a 2020 story that toured the Los Angeles mansion where gamer conglomerate FaZe Clan lived and worked. “An article that employs environmental photogrammetry uses as much data as streaming an hourlong television show,” Marc Lavallee, head of research and development for the Times, said in a press release. “Making this kind of reading experience seamless for our readers requires cutting-edge networks like 5G.”
Beam and Eclipse 

Talking about their first proprietary photography app, Beam, Tomich said it allows Times journalists working in the field to capture and automatically upload high-resolution images to the newsroom with nothing but their smartphone and camera. 
Building upon the advances of Beam, the Eclipse app leverages Verizon 5G to expand video journalism. Eclipse can use 5G to transmit professional video files that meet The Times’s quality standards at a speed that competes with uploads of mobile phone videos, which have file sizes roughly 14 times smaller, Tomich said. It allows video journalists to get material into their editors’ hands in close to real time, rather than hours later.
“This "always on" connection facilitated by Beam and Eclipse enables deeper coordination between the newsroom and photo and video journalists in the field,” he said. “With the ability to review footage in near real time, editors can now request additional photos or videos while the journalist is still on the scene.”
Real-life applications
These tools developed by the 5G lab aren’t just ideas inside four walls. The team has already started implementing them to improve the speed and quality of journalism. 
For instance, when the team went to cover the 2020 Oscars red carpet arrivals, Verizon set up a 5G network at the event. Using Beam, a Times photographer roamed the red carpet freely, without interruption or regard for file transfer limits. “He ended up sending eight times more photos than the previous year’s photographer, with an average upload time of 2.1 seconds,” Tomich said. “With Beam, shooting IS filing.”
However, creating powerful tools isn’t always enough for effective real-world practices. Factors like awareness, availability, and access to resources play a huge role in shaping journalism. As newsrooms and 5G providers are waking up to the transformational power of 5G-powered, Pavlik suggests three ideas to better capitalize on the 5G tools available on the market.
He advises newsrooms to: 

Read more
Lenovo ThinkPad X13s hands-on review: ARM-powered ThinkPad
thinkpad x13s hands on new specs price photos x13 gen 1 featured image

Lenovo's best laptops have always had Intel or AMD inside, but in a first, there's now a new ThinkPad powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 compute platform.

More specifically, it is the ThinkPad X13s, an ARM-powered device that's unlike a regular ThinkPad in more ways than one. With promising always-on, always-connected performance and a fantastic sustainable design, this Lenovo laptop feels different from past Windows on ARM devices, and after trying one ahead of Mobile World Congress, it dares to take on Apple's M1 MacBooks in the business realm.

Read more