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Qualcomm and 5G

The company said a substantial number of smartphones will be sold next year that will support 5G, not just the high-end, low-volume devices currently on the market.

Jon Peddie

 

At its big press conference in Hawaii, Qualcomm announces two chips with 5G support on that will be used by smartphone makers in millions of Android phones.

The company said a substantial number of smartphones will be sold next year that will support 5G, not just the high-end, low-volume devices currently on the market.

Qualcomm predicted last month that 200 million phones with 5G would ship to retailers in 2020. A separate estimate from J.P. Morgan analysts this week estimated 229 million in 2020, going up to 462 million in

2021.

“In 2020, for what it’s worth, all of the premium chips that we sell with our new chip will be 5G-capable,” said Keith Kressin, senior vice president of product development. “So every new high-tier phone.”

Qualcomm also announced its new top-tier chip for 2020, Snapdragon 865, which it will sell to smartphone OEMs for high-end Android phones like Samsung’s Galaxy or Google’s Pixel. Qualcomm says the 865 will be shipped only in new 5G devices and will be bundled with a separate 5G modem—the X55, also sold by Qualcomm, which is necessary to deliver 5G service.

The company also announced a less expensive and slightly slower chip, the Snapdragon 765, that can come with a 5G modem integrated into the chip.

As the 5G penetration rate is expected to reach 50% in 2023, and smart AR glasses will begin entering the consumer market.