Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X60 promises smaller 5G modems in 2021

Enlarge / The Snapdragon X60 in a standalone package. (credit: Qualcomm)

Qualcomm has announced a new 5G modem, the Snapdragon X60. The modem offers aggregation between the two big forms of "5G" (Sub-6 GHz and mmWave), it has a theoretical top download speed of 7.5Gbps, and it's built on a ridiculously small 5nm manufacturing process. If that sounds like something from the distant future, well, it is! Qualcomm likes to announce these modems very far in advance. The X55 modem that will launch in smartphones this year was announced all the way back in February 2019, so this X60 modem should be on the market sometime in 2021.

The full name of this chip is the "Qualcomm Snapdragon X60 5G modem-RF System," meaning Qualcomm wants you to buy its X60 modem and separate RF antenna modules together since they are designed as one big package. Since 5G mmWave has poor signal characteristics (it can be blocked by just about everything, including your hand) Qualcomm's designs put several mmWave antenna modules all around the phone body. Paired with the X60 is Qualcomm's new QTM535 antenna module, which Qualcomm says is smaller (but it doesn't say how much smaller it is) than the current QTM525.

Qualcomm's strategy of building "modem-RF systems" for 5G is something the European Union is investigating right now for antitrust concerns. The EU is concerned that Qualcomm is using its position in the 5G modem market to try to own the RF chip market, locking out competitors like Broadcom (which tried to buy Qualcomm), Skyworks, and Qorvo.

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