36 MACWORLD APRIL 2020
iOSCENTRAL QUALCOMM’S NEW SNAPDRAGON X60 5G MODEMLet’s get the technical stuff out of the
way first. The X60 is the first “to support
spectrum aggregation across all key 5G
bands and combinations.” That means X60
phones will be more futureproof than
today’s X55 ones, supporting mmWave
and sub-6 using frequency division duplex
(FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) at a
wider range of deployment. Plus, it can
deliver up to 7.5Gbps download speeds
and 3Gbps upload speeds, far greater
than even the theoretical capabilities of
the current 5G networks being built.
But while benefits like carrier
aggregation and voice-over-NR are
certainly important, the greatest
improvement the X60 modem offers is in
its size. Qualcomm’s new modem is the
first to be built using a 5nm process,
allowing for higher efficiency on a smaller
footprint. That’s a big leap from the 7nm
X50 and X55, and it’s unlikely anyone will
be able to catch up anytime soon,
including Apple. And that’s precisely the
message Qualcomm wants to send.SIZE OVER SPEED
It’s no secret that Apple will be climbing on
board the 5G train with the upcoming
iPhone 12, but what isn’t so certain is which
modem it will be using. Apple and
Qualcomm entered into a multi-year
agreement to supply chips for the iPhone,
which everyone assumes will include a 5G
modem, especially since Qualcomm is
basically the only game in town.
But after Apple scooped up Intel’s
smartphone modem business scraps,
reliance on Qualcomm
isn’t part of Apple’s
long-term plans. But the
X60 shows that
Qualcomm doesn’t see
that path as an
inevitability. By jumping to
5nm with the third-
generation of its 5G
modem, Qualcomm is
delivering a smaller and
more efficient modem,
which just happens to be
the very reasons why
Apple would build its ownThe X60 modem is expected to make its way into Android
phones and iPhones in 2021.