Yesterday, Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon X60, its third-gen 5G smartphone modem. The chips will be manufactured using new 5 nanometer process technology (for comparison, a human hair is 60,000 nanometers in diameter).
Unlike most modems in early 5G phones, the hairless X60 can tap all key spectrum bands. It also brings "fiber-like internet speeds," low lag, and power efficiency. Expect to see the X60 in flagship handsets and possibly a 5G iPhone, but no motherships for the modem will ship until next year.
Now for the handoff
Samsung, the world's second-largest chipmaker, has won a contract to produce at least some of the X60, Reuters reports. It's a big win for Samsung, which has been losing chipmaking market share to Taiwanese rival TSMC. Both plan to ramp up 5nm production in 2020.
Big picture: The X60 succeeds the X55, a chip Qualcomm announced about a year ago. It's wasting no time trying to corner a mobile market shifting to 5G.
+ While we're here: Samsung's $14.7 billion memory chip fabrication plant in Pyeongtaek, South Korea could fit a very large Mondrian.
Samsung
Keep up with the innovative tech transforming business
Tech Brew keeps business leaders up-to-date on the latest innovations, automation advances, policy shifts, and more, so they can make informed decisions about tech.