Qualcomm’s new chipset is going to supercharge your next phone

MWC 2025 has been host to a range of launches, from the high-end Xiaomi 15 Ultra to the capable Honor Pad V9 – but it’s one of the launches you might not have heard about that could have the biggest impact. 

The announcement in question? The reveal of the Qualcomm X85 5G modem. I know, I know, but stay with me here. 

Revealed at MWC 2025, the X85 is the latest in a long-standing collection of modems that Qualcomm has produced for mobile devices, from high-end smartphones like the iPhone 16 Pro Max to cheap budget 5G blowers – and it’s a bit of a doozy.

When connected to a network that can deliver such speeds, the new X85 modem can offer up to 12.5Gbps download speeds and 3.7Gbps upload speeds, a boost of 2.5Gbps and 0.2Gbps compared to the previous top-end X80 5G.

Qualcomm also claims that the new modem offers improved reliability in congested 5G areas, better power efficiency, and more accurate location data. Anyone who has tried navigating the busy streets of central London will appreciate that! 

It’s set to be released in devices in the second half of this year, which means it’ll likely be part of the new iPhone 17 collection. 

With the iPhone 16e sporting Apple’s in-house-developed C1 5G modem, which has boosted power efficiency compared to the Qualcomm alternative, many assumed that it’d also come to the iPhone 17 this year – but subsequent rumours point towards Qualcomm once again being the supplier.

It makes sense, given that Apple’s C1 only supports a part of the 5G spectrum. It misses out on the all-important mmWave 5G support for its US userbase, and Apple is not likely to risk that on its flagship device. 

Of course, this seriously boosted modem will likely benefit not only the iPhone 17 but also late 2024 and early 2025 flagships from Honor, Samsung, and most other manufacturers. But we’ll have to wait and see for now.