Qualcomm Snapdragon X75 Makes 5G 20% More Efficient in iPhone 15

The chip giant Qualcomm has introduced a new, even more efficient 5G modem with the Snapdragon X75. The new version delivers a variety of improvements, including a significantly smaller design and lower power requirements.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon X75 5G modem basically offers the same features as its predecessor, the X70, but brings with it a whole range of fundamental changes that should greatly benefit future smartphones. It’s all about the space that the modem takes up in the devices and the power consumption.

With the Snapdragon X75, Qualcomm combines all parts of the hardware in the same module for the first time, so that both the functions for using mmWave and sub-6 GHz mobile networks are housed in the same module. As a result, the part of the chip required to support the new mobile generation shrinks by around 25 percent, the manufacturer claims.

5G mobile communications should be up to 20 percent more efficient

In addition, the production of the new Snapdragon X75 is said to have become easier by combining the parts for mmWave and sub-6 GHz 5G networks. According to Qualcomm, the biggest advantage is that the new chip is up to 20 percent more energy-efficient, with the manufacturer citing laboratory tests for this information. It remains to be seen to what extent there will be significant savings in everyday operations.

As further improvements, Qualcomm is also advertising for the Snapdragon X75 modem that the modem’s AI capabilities have been improved to optimize 5G reception. There should also be significant improvements in terms of software in order to deliver better performance under poor reception conditions such as in elevators, underground car parks, or subways.

According to the manufacturer’s datasheet, the Snapdragon X75 5G modem enables downstream data rates of up to 10 gigabits per second, while up to 3.5 Gbps is said to be possible upstream. The availability of the first devices with the new modem should be given later this year, with Apple should be among the customers again. Because Qualcomm is still the US computer group’s exclusive modem supplier for the time being, Apple is likely to be one of the first manufacturers to use a variant of the Snapdragon X75 in its iPhone 15 series.