As file sizes balloon in the wake of 4K video, internet speeds certainly have some catching up to do.
Qualcomm has unveiled a new smartphone modem that supports breakneck download speeds of up to 1Gbps.
That means a 4K movie – estimated at 100GB average file size – could be downloaded in just over 13 minutes. And a Blu-ray movie, which averages at around 20GB, could arrive in a quarter of that time.
The Gigabit modem in question is the Snapdragon X16, Qualcomm’s sixth-generation LTE chipset. It’s built using a highly efficient 14nm FinFET manufacturing processor, and supports “fibre-like” LTE Category 16 download speeds.
That’s more advanced than the Cat.6 modem featured in the iPhone 6S. It’s also better than the X12 modem built into the Snapdragon 820 chip, which will give many of this year’s flagship smartphones Cat.12 LTE support (600Mbps downlink). Both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5 are rumoured to use the chip.
Check out the launch video below:
Qualcomm is a market leader in smartphone chip manufacturing, and supplies many phone-makers with components.
Notably, Apple devices often ship with Qualcomm modems, most recently seen featured in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6S.
As such, there’s a chance we may see the Snapdragon X16 LTE modem appear in a future iteration of the iPhone.
“In addition to serving as a significant milestone for the mobile industry, the Snapdragon X16 LTE modem is a powerful testament to Qualcomm Technologies’ continued technology leadership in all things wireless,” says Cristiano Amon, executive VP of Qualcomm Technologies.
Amon adds: “
It’s worth noting, however, that having a smartphone with an X16 built-in does not guarantee Gigabit speeds.
You’ll also need a network carrier that offers those sorts of speeds, which isn’t likely to happen for a couple of years in the UK.
After all, it took around two years for UK networks to catch up with Qualcomm’s 300Mbps Gobi LTE 9×35 modem.
Fortunately, the Snapdragon X16 LTE modem is already sampling with manufacturers now, with the first products featuring the chip “expected in the second half of 2016”.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
