PUBG Mobile Season 4 now available for download with new features and upgrades

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PUBG players are now able to download its latest update, which is the PUBG Mobile 0.9.5 on both Android and iOS as the update releases today. The new update will bring PUBG Mobile Royale Pass Season 4, which allows players to complete daily and weekly missions, earn points, and increase their rank. New and existing players should note that the latest version of PUBG will not take the Season 3 rankings and scores into account, meaning everyone will start with a clean slate, and an equal opportunity to gain ranks.

The Royale Pass Season 4 will bring more upgrades such as adding more firearm finishes, rare outfits, new character faces and hairstyles. It will also fine tuned the redemption feature, added mission cards, as well as added an event where packs are discounted heavily during Black Friday and increased the odds of certain crate drops.

If that’s not enough, the new PUBG Mobile 0.9.5 have also added in some new features such as a new weapon, which is the M762 automatic rifle that will be available on all maps. A scooter as a new vehicle in the Sanhok map, a dynamic weather in the Sanhok map, and hardcore mode to provide the same experience as PC.

Gamers will also find Suicide Squad characters Harley Quinn and the Joker on PUBG for PC, which is also expected to appear on PUBG Mobile soon. Other character choices can be seen by Royale pass owners, who will be able to choose from two new avatars, a male and a female. One can also expect a new snow map, like the Sanhok map that appeared on the game’s mobile version during Season 3.

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PUBG Mobile 0.9.5
PUBG updates


PUBG Mobile’s update 0.11.0 comes with a time-limited zombie mode

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If you can’t log in to PUBG Mobile right now, it’s because the servers are down due to the maintenance update. However, I’ve just tried logging in to the game and I’ve managed to get in so it’s possible that the maintenance is already done.

The mobile game promised that the new version will be available starting from February 19 in both App Store and Google Play Store and this update will include a zombie mode that is based on Resident Evil 2. More specifically, this mode is called Zombie: Survive Till Dawn, a time-limited event mode that lets you fight against Resident Evil 2’s zombies and bosses.

“Allow me to introduce myself. Crate Maker is the name.”
pic.twitter.com/rqgWFQLv8C

— PUBG MOBILE (@PUBGMOBILE)
February 15, 2019

Aside from that, PUBG Mobile will also be adding Resident Evil 2 main menu theme and music, a new weather called Moonlight to Vikendi map and also the availability of Sanhok map in Arcade’s Quick Match mode. You will also be able to choose a friend with Synergy 400 and above to stand by your side in your space, but I’m still unsure of how this works so we’ll have to wait for update to come for better understanding.

That aside, there will also be minor improvements in update 0.11.0. PUBG Mobile will now only keep past results for one month before they are removed, and the terrain display bugs will be resolved for budget devices.

When they arrive, it’s going to be 🔥. Literally.
@RE_Games

#PUBGMRE2

pic.twitter.com/McZ4VTFY7R

— PUBG MOBILE (@PUBGMOBILE)
February 13, 2019

The highlight of this update is the zombie mode and it will be quite an exciting event because you’ll get to team up with others to fight zombies instead of fighting against each other.

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Zombie: Survive till Dawn


PUBG teases new skin featuring Harley Quinn and Joker from Suicide Squad

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If you’re a big PUBG fan and have been keeping yourself updated on the game, you’re in for a treat! As PUBG has teamed up with DC Comics to allow players to use new skins that make them appear as Suicide Squad’s Harley Quinn and Joker in the game.

The teaser of the new skins have been posted on all PUBG’s social medias such as Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, but there’s not much of information provided other than the fact that we can play as Joker and Harley Quinn from The Suicide Squad and the word “Coming Soon”, similarly to what PUBG has done for its Halloween event, “The Frightful Halloween”, where there wasn’t much information given before the release of the Halloween themed update until the day of the release itself.

It is unknown if PUBG will add on more characters from The Suicide Squad but it is not impossible as PUBG is always surprising their fans. Whether or not the skins are only for a limited time or a permanent skin, there’s no doubt that PUBG have gotten their fans excited for the new update.

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PUBG Squicide Squad crossover
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PUBG’s Vikendi snow map to be released on 20 December 2018

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The long awaited “Vikendi” map on PUBG will soon be made available for players to download this coming 20 December 2018.

According to XDA Developers and Beebom, they claimed to have obtained the patch notes for PUBG Mobile 0.10.0 update, which revealed that Vikendi map would go live at 5:30am IST (12:00am UTC) on 20 December 2018. The Vikendi map has already been made available on Public Test Servers for PC since last week, with PS4 and Xbox One to follow soon.

The Vikendi map is definitely a map all players should look forward to as it brings a whole lot of new stuff such as a 6km x 6km snow map, a new weather mode : snow, a Vikendi-exclusive vehicle called Snowmobile, snowball fight at Vikendi’s Spawn Island, added layout for players with large hands, added a display for Crew Challenge winners on Erangel’s Spawn Island. Season one’s winning teams will appear on the Spawn Island of their respective server and modes (Season two registration starts at 0:00 UTC on 18 DEC 2018), players’ best results in Crew Challenge will now be shown on their Crew pages and can be shared with other players.

Other than that, there’s also added cross-server matchmaking which after enabling, players have a chance to be matched to players of the same tier on other servers. As for players that repeatedly exit matches right after starting will now be banned from finding matches for a period of time. Players are also allowed to report suspicious behavior while spectating after dying in the game.

To top it off, PUBG will now add Arabic support and players do not need to select a second language for matchmaking or chatting. The chat system will also take up less memory and stores more messages, as well as having new commands for quick chat.

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Pulau Pinang to be the first state in Malaysia to use facial recognition CCTV to detect criminals

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Facial recognition is not something new in the tech world, as facial recognition has been applied into smartphones where users could have their face detected to unlock their phones.

However that technology has since been applied into Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) and Pulau Pinang, Malaysia has officially been announced to be the first state in Malaysia to launch facial recognition CCTV to detect the faces of criminals.

Kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang lancar projek pengecaman wajah (facial recognition) menerusi kamera litar tertutup (CCTV) yang pertama di Malaysia dan mampu mengesan wajah penjenayah – KM Chow Kon Yeow
pic.twitter.com/KP8cFNkZKQ

— BERNAMA (@bernamadotcom)
January 2, 2019

This news was reported by BERNAMA on their official Twitter account where they officiate the announcement.

Although there was not much information given through the post, but this project has been revealed to the public since September 2018.

According to
The Star Online’s post
, it was mentioned that the cameras will be operated in public areas where it will identify individuals and a linked computer system will run through the individual’s criminal records.

Police would then be alerted if the person was a “wanted” suspect.

With the newly installed facial recognition CCTV, crime rates will decrease in Pulau Pinang and this would make the police’s job easier when it comes to detecting the whereabouts of a criminal, and it would also benefit the public when it comes to safety. This could be one of the great ways for Malaysia to combat crime.

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This minimalist phone comes with 4G LTE and a price to pay

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With devices like the Nokia 8110 4G in the market, it suggests that not everyone may be looking forward to own a smartphone these days, especially for those who merely requires a secondary device for just receiving private calls and don’t want all that access to apps. If you are just looking for that kind of device with better connectivity features, then turn your heads over to the Punkt MP02 phone, it has huge physical buttons, a 2-inch display, and 4G LTE connectivity for US$349 (RM1445).

Though the phone requires a hefty price to pay, you are getting some additional features such as BlackBerry encryption and threaded messaging, not to forget to mention the simple yet solid build quality, which is obvious that the company is targeting to sell this as a premium product. On top of that, you will also receive a customized Lamy pen from the phone’s designer, Jasper Morrison, when you preorder the device.

Other notable features of the Punkt MP02 includes a 12-day battery life, mobile hotspot sharing, USB-C, and apps such as clock, calendar, calculator…the usual feature phone stuffs.

Now, if only the phone runs on KaiOS, which will eventually support messaging apps such as WhatsApp and WeChat, then it would prove its value as a premium 4G feature phone. You can preorder the Punkt MP02
here
.

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Purchase the HONOR 20 Lite tomorrow and stand a chance to win more freebies!

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The HONOR 20 Lite was launched not too long ago, but in conjunction with its offline sales launch, there will be a meet and greet session with the HONOR 20 Lite’s ambassador, As’ad Motawh.

The HONOR 20 Lite will be available for purchase from 2pm to 4pm on May 11 at Nu Sentral, where As’ad fans will get to meet him and also stand a chance to walk away with a signed HONOR 20 Lite if they purchase the phone during that time period.

Moreover, the first 10 purchases of the phone will allow the purchasers to get a free branded drawstring bag, an HONOR branded tee — also signed by As’ad Motawh — and a food container. The next 10 purchases will get the same freebies, excluding the branded drawstring bag.

The HONOR 20 Lite comes at the price of RM949 and sports a triple camera setup on its gradient back paired with a 32MP front camera. It also has a 6.21-inch LCD screen and is equipped with 4GB RAM and 128GB storage, in addition to be powered by Kirin 710 chipset.

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HONOR 20 Lite


Purchase the HONOR 50 or MagicBook and stand a chance to win a Honda City

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It’s the season of giving and if you’re looking to gift your loved ones with a new smartphone or laptop, HONOR is hosting its End of Year Festive Sale to join in on the Christmas fun of giving.

You can even stand a chance of winning a Honda City, 1 of 500 units of DJI OM 4 SE by purchasing either the from the HONOR 50 series of the HONOR MagicBook series.

How do you join?

There are only three simple steps and they are as follows:

Step 1:
Purchase any selected HONOR products during 1 December 2021 – 2 January 2022.

Step 2:
Activate the device before 9 January 2022.

Step 3:
Answer the questions correctly
here

and submit.

Which HONOR products?

HONOR 50 series

If you’re into vlogging or just love recording your favourite moments, then the
HONOR 50
 will have something for you. This device comes with a whopping 108MP main lens, an 8MP ultrawide lens, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor; you even get a 32MP selfie camera. It also comes with nifty features such as dual-view recording, fast and slow-motion, and pause live recording.

Then there’s the
HONOR 50 Lite
, the affordable model with flagship specs — here, you get a 64MP main lens, an 8MP ultrawide lens, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. Other than that, it’s also packed with the 66W HONOR SuperCharge for non-stop gaming or media consumption.
Whichever you get, both are bound to provide you with quality photos and videos. The HONOR 50 is priced at RM1,699 for the 6GB+128GB model and RM1,999 for the 8GB+256GB model, while the HONOR 50 Lite is priced at RM999.

HONOR MagicBook series

If you’re looking for a laptop instead, you can consider any device from the HONOR MagicBook series. Each laptop is guaranteed with TÜV Rheinland Low Blue Light & TÜV Rheinland Flicker-free Certification, providing your eyes with a comfortable and no-fatigue experience for long hours of screen time.

The HONOR MagicBook series retails from RM2,299 to RM3,499 and you might even bring home rewards of up to RM600.

This sale will run between now until 2 January 2022 and the winner will be announced on 21 January 2022; you can check out these products on HONOR Malaysia’s
eStore
. For more information, you can visit HONOR Malaysia’s
Facebook

page.

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Purchase the vivo Y95 for RM399 when you sign up for Hotlink Postpaid Flex Plus

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The vivo Y95 was available for pre-order last month with a price reduction of RM100 if you pre-ordered it on Lazada. However, now you can get the vivo Y95 with only RM399 instead of its original price of RM999.

From 10 January onwards, those who sign up for Hotlink Postpaid Flex Plus can get the Vivo Y95 at the price of RM399, which is a huge RM600 price reduction. The Hotlink Postpaid Flex Plus is a RM60/month plan that offers 10GB data, unlimited calls and unlimited SMS. Just pay an advanced payment of RM360 and RM399 (the device’s price) and you can get a brand new vivo Y95 and a rather affordable postpaid plan.

The vivo Y95 comes with 6.22-inch Halo FullView display that comes with a dewdrop notch. It is powered by Snapdragon 439 processor and has 4GB RAM with 64GB internal storage, in addition to its 4030mAh battery that features a smart-energy power management system.

On the front, the Y95 comes with a 20MP front camera that supports AI features that can automatically enhance your facial features while on its back, it sports a 13MP+2MP dual rear camera setup.

Those who are looking for devices with even lower prices can also get the vivo Y81i at RM1 and vivo Y85 at RM199 when they sign up for the Hotlink Postpaid Flex Plus. These bundled plans are already available, unlike the vivo Y95 that will only be available from 10 January onwards.

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Hotlink Postpaid Flex Plus
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Putting the ‘A’ in Auspicious!: 7 Reasons to Get the New Galaxy A Series (2017)

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The much awaited Chinese New Year is just around the corner and everyone who celebrates this festive occasion will be making their way home to be reunited with their beloved families. After all, it is a new opportunity to turn over a new leaf, embark on a new unplanned journey or just look forward to a brand new year of excitement.

Samsung’s newly launched Galaxy A Series (2017) can help brighten your Chinese New Year celebration – here’s how…

#1:
Celebrate Non-stop in Rain or Shine

These days, the weather gets unpredictable. If you are suddenly caught in the rain, you will have a peace of mind knowing that your new Samsung Galaxy A Series (2017) will remain operational, unscathed even in the rain. How? This is the first Galaxy A Series that is rated IP68, making it resistant to dust and water, for those carefree Chinese New year house visits, rain or shine! That way, you don’t have to worry about the gloomy skies and the sounds of thunder.  Celebrate non-stop this Chinese New Year!

#2:
No TV, No Problem

With kids constantly switching to Disney Channel, don’t be sad if you don’t get the chance to hold the TV remote to catch up on your favourite Hong Kong drama. Be the master of your own entertainment and stream your favourite festive contents this Chinese New Year using your new Galaxy A Series (2017) which now sports a Full HD Super AMOLED Display. The Galaxy A Series (2017) boasts vivid 5.7-inch (A7) and 5.2-inch (A5) Super AMOLED screen displays for your non-stop entertainment, so you never miss an episode of your favourite TV series wherever you are. Maybe, just maybe, your younger nephews and nieces will start to inch closer to you and join you, mesmerised by the smartphone screen’s vivid display!

#3: #FestiveSelfies, #OOTD & #CNYHoChiak

Take that family wefie during Reunion Dinner with the whole family gathering around the table. Sneak in a shameless selfie or two with gorgeous #OOTDs, or dive deeper into your inner photographer and start taking pictures of mouth-watering CNY dishes to fill your #CNY2017 photo album. With 16 preloaded filters inside, your Instagram page will be Instafamous in no time! The Samsung Galaxy A Series (2017) comes equipped with 16MP front and rear camera with f1.9 lens and Light+ feature that can help you snap all those precious moments even in lowlight conditions. Instantly share these photos on Facebook, and get started on tagging your many family members!

#4:
No Cash, No Worries

Seeing your closest relatives and cousins this Chinese New Year? How about taking your little cousins out to the nearest shopping mall, and buy them a meal when they least expect an unplanned surprise? Now, with Samsung Pay, payments are never the same again! Just swipe up on your Galaxy A device, select your preferred payment card, authenticate with your fingerprint or PIN number, and tap the device on the payment terminal! Make secure and convenient mobile payments anywhere and look cool doing it while the rest of the queue looks on enviously!

#5:
Style You Can Afford

To add a touch of style, the Samsung Galaxy A Series (2017) with its premium build can definitely add some sparkle to your festive get-up. The Gold Sand model radiates youth and prosperity whilst the Black Sky is a colour option that exudes a mysteriously classy and elegant aura. Measuring at 7.9mm thin, this slim device can fit into any pocket and look dashing on any palm! Now when relatives ask you what’s new, whip out your Galaxy A Series (2017) and wave it like the fashionista that you are!

#6:
Powering You Through The Day

Family visits are part of the CNY trend. You’ll continue from one house to the other, and the next thing you know, your power bank is almost drained and you’re scrambling to find a power outlet to recharge your device. Fret not because the Samsung Galaxy A Series (2017) comes with bigger batteries and supports fast charging! Just plug in your device to a power source and be amazed at how quickly your battery power restores just so that the device can keep you company throughout the day. The Galaxy A7 (2017) comes with 3,600mAh while the Galaxy A5 (2017) comes with 3,000mAh battery capacity.

#7: More Space, More Memories

With dozens of people to celebrate this Chinese New Year with, naturally you would worry if your smartphone will run out space when it comes to capturing great moments. With the new Samsung Galaxy A Series (2017), get expandable storage of up to 256GB to fit all your memories (and silly selfies with family and friends) into a single, handy device. That’s right, there’s no need to free up some space. Keep all your favourite memories on the go!

The new Galaxy A Series (2017) is available at all Samsung brand stores nationwide from 25th January 2017 onwards at a recommended retail price of RM1,899 (Galaxy A7 2017) and RM1,699 (Galaxy A5 2017) inclusive of GST.

What are you waiting for? Join the in-store pre-order and be the first to own the new Galaxy A Series (2017), even before Chinese New Year! Head to selected Samsung participating outlets from now until 22nd January 2017 to place an order and receive a complimentary Samsung Level U Pro wireless headphones worth RM399. Pre-order collection will start on 25th January 2017. For online pre-orders, check out Samsung’s online stores on Lazada at
http://lzd.co/samsung-galaxy-a-series
 and 11street at
http://promotion.11street.my/store/samsung
.

For more information on the pre-order, please visit
http://www.samsung.com/my/A2017preorder
.


Putting Windows Ink "Front and Center" with Windows Anniversary update

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Microsoft has announced an update for Windows 10 which will be arriving this coming summer, known as the Windows Anniversary update. So far, after eight months, Microsoft claims that more than 270 million machines now run Windows 10. Terry Myerson, the chief of Windows stated that the update will be free to all Windows 10 users, claiming that whether they have a new PC, a five year old PC or a brand new Mac, teasing the Cupertino company in a non-hostile manner.

Not only will the Windows Anniversary Update arrive to PC’s, but also Holo Lens and Microsoft’s Xbox One. With the update, Windows 10 apps will work on the gaming console. Coming with the update is a more seamless version of Windows Ink, said to help people to create, ideate and collaborate better. The first part explained was to put Windows Ink “Front and Center”.

Via the simple push of the pen button, a new Windows Ink workspace will be launched.  The updated Windows Ink will be integrated with Cortana and Bing, thanks to Microsoft’s handwriting recognition. For instance, writing down an event with the word “tomorrow” on your Sticky Notes will activate Cortana, prompting to save the event to the calendar. Bing comes into play for recognizing written down locations. On the sketchpad, Windows Ink has a couple of interesting tools, such as a virtual on-screen ruler to guide your drawings on Sketch Pad. Aside from that, the Windows Ink workspace can be accessed on the Windows lock screen, allowing you to continue your sketch or jotting of notes without having to unlock the screen. What are your thoughts on the updated Windows Ink? Let us know your thoughts below!

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Qualcomm announces Quick Charge 3+ for better and faster charging

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Qualcomm has just announced Quick Charge 3+ technology which is a more affordable option catered for lower-cost products like phones, peripherals and chargers.

Quick Charge 3+ will first be available on Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 and 765G. The company reported that it can charge a phone from 0% to 50% in just 15 minutes, and it’s 35% faster than its predecessor. It’ll also support scalable voltage with 20mV steps from Quick Charge 4 and because it’ll come with USB Type-A to Type-C cables, it will be more affordable for both OEMs and consumers.

Image credit: Qualcomm

The first phone that’ll come with the new technology should be the Xiaomi Mi 10 Lite Zoom. However, Quick Charge 3+ is also backward compatible with previous generations, so it will be supporting a wide range of peripherals that consumers may already own.

With midrange devices being launched with 5G connectivity, the availability of Quick Charge 3+ that supports USB Type-A to Type-C cables is a smart move. After all, 5G technology drains the battery quicker than its predecessor, so we’ll need fast charging to balance that out.

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Qualcomm announces Snapdragon 835 chipset with Samsung's 10nm process

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Now that 2016 is coming to an end, we will be expecting a new series of processors by chip making giants such as Qualcomm, with much attention upon the more flagship processors. The Snapdragon 820 proved to be probably the most popular flagship processor of 2016, being equipped in many top of the line smartphones from different manufacturers. The Snapdragon 821 is a slight upgrade from the 820, probably half a step up from the latter. Earlier today, Qualcomm and Samsung have jointly announced a new processor, and it is slated to be underneath the hoods of flagship handsets in 2017.

You would think that the new Qualcomm processor would be named the Snapdragon 830, but Qualcomm has skipped the usual flow by calling it the Snapdragon 835 instead. The Snapdragon 835 is manufactured on Samsung’s revolutionary 10nm FinFET process. In comparison, this year’s Snapdragon 820 and 821 chipsets were manufactured on a 14nm process. The new 10nm process by Samsung will significantly improve performance and power efficiency.

According to Qualcomm, Samsung’s new 10nm FinFET process gives 30 percent more area efficiency, 27 percent improvement in performance and up to 40 percent less in terms of power consumption when compared to this year’s Snapdragon 820 series chips. With a smaller space occupied by the chipset, Qualcomm claims that smartphone manufacturers will have more space to fit larger batteries, or design slimmer phones.

The new processor and its cutting edge process will definitely bring improvement to the whole smartphone experience next year, but the improvements mentioned earlier are mostly raw measurements and theoretical results on paper, hence us and consumers will be the judge when the Snapdragon 835 goes to work in 2017. What do you think?

Source:
Qualcomm

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Qualcomm announces Snapdragon X60 5G modem to support up to 7.5Gbps download speeds

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Qualcomm announces the Snapdragon X60 modem to succeed the Snapdragon X55 – which is equipped in the Snapdragon 865 chipsets. The new modem is built on a minute 5nm architecture and will allow all deployment modes across all spectrums, both in 4G and 5G.

Qualcomm says that the modem is capable of download speeds of up to 7.5Gbps download rates along with 3Gbps upload speeds. Qualcomm also says that the SD X60 uses Dynamic Spectrum Sharing along with spectrum aggregation to widen the shared channels to allow for “true” 5G performance in the low-band networks.

The new modem is likely to arrive later in the year – possibly in the Snapdragon 865+ should it exist. Else, it will most definitely be equipped in next year’s flagship devices. This is an important development in the 5G arena as newer hardware arise, older technology can go for cheap, allowing for more affordable 5G devices, which honestly, is what everyone wants in Malaysia.

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Qualcomm announces the 205 Mobile Platform for feature phones

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Over the weekend, Qualcomm announced that its Snapdragon branding will be undergoing some branding changes. Chief among said changes is the fact that lower-end platforms will no longer be a part of the Snapdragon brand. With that information in mind, Qualcomm has decided to roll out its first entry-level SoC under the “Mobile Platform” moniker that is tailor-made for the feature phone segment in emerging markets: the Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform.

With the 205 Mobile Platform, Qualcomm has outfitted the SoC with a dual-core CPU that is clocked at 1.1GHz, an Adreno 304 GPU, and support for eMMC 4.5 flash storage and LPDDR2/LPDDR3 RAM. For connectivity, the 205 Mobile Platform comes with Qualcomm’s own X5 Category 4 LTE modem, giving the SoC a theoretical download speed of 150Mbps and upload speed of 50Mbps. The platform would support Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n,, Bluetooth 4.1, Voice over LTE (VoLTE), Voice over Wi-Fi, and dual-SIM.

As the specifications may have clued you in, the 205 Mobile Platform isn’t exactly suited for smartphones. Indeed, this particular SoC is made for feature phones rather than smartphones. With this entry-level chipset, feature phones can make the jump from 2G to 4G . The 205 Mobile Platform is expected to make its debut on Q2 2017.

Source:
Android Central
,
Ars Technica

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Qualcomm announces the Snapdragon Wear 2100 SoC made for smart watches

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As smart watches gets more features, its time for a brand new silicon to enable more advanced features on it and Qualcomm has announced its very first chip designed for smart watches. The new Snapdragon Wear 2100 is made to improved power efficiency, have better smart features and it is 30% smaller than the current Snapdragon 400 chip used in most current smart watches. The Snapdragon 2100 consists of two variants, a ‘Tethered’ model that requires the watch to be paired to a smartphone like most devices, and ‘Connected’ model that will have communication features built in such as WiFi and LTE radio, while enabling users to run applications on it.

Qualcomm sees the use of its Snapdragon Wear 2100 chip not only be used in smart watches, but also other wearables such as glasses, fitness trackers, headsets and etc. As Mobile World Congress is about to happen soon, we should be able to see manufacturers using Qualcomm’s wearable chip and hopefully, these new smart watches could see more smarter features and thinner with the capability of the new chip.

SOURCE:
9to5Google

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Qualcomm announces three mid-range chips

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Having just unveiled the Snapdragon Wear 2100 exclusively for Android Wear, Qualcomm has followed up quick with the announcement of three mid-range SoC’s for mobile devices, ending its busy day with a bang.

Qualcomm has added three new SoC’s to its Snapdragon iteration, namely the Snapdragon 425, 435 and 625. While this does not come as much of a surprise, the higher the number, the better right? Yes you’re right, the Snapdragon 625 is the highest end among the three announced SoC’s. The 625 is the successor to last year’s 617, featuring two quad core Cortex A53’s, with a bump of 0.5GHz in clock speed at 2.0GHz compared to the 617’s 1.5GHz. Running alongside is an Adreno 506 GPU.

The Snapdragon 435 replaces its predecessor, the 430, featuring an octa core Cortex A53, clocked at 1.4GHz alongside the Adreno 505. The 435 will be the first in line to support 4G+ technology, with the integration of the X8 LTE modem, for faster LTE speeds.

And finally, the Snapdragon 425, which will be the replace for Qualcomm’s previous Snapdragon 410 and 412. Also clocked at 1.4GHz and featuring a quad core Cortex A53, the CPU pairs itself with the Adreno 308 GPU for graphics.

With such enthusiasm and aggression, we might just see Qualcomm announcing new SoC’s for flagship devices real soon, maybe after MWC to keep the hype of the all-powerful Snapdragon 820. Comment below!

Source:
Qualcomm

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Qualcomm confirms new naming convention for Snapdragon products

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Previously, rumours have been circulating about Qualcomm’s
new naming convention
 for their Snapdragon chipsets, and we didn’t have to wait long for this to be confirmed.

Despite its Tech Summit on November 30, Qualcomm has gone ahead to
reveal

that their SoCs will include “a single-digit series and generation number.” This will be effective from its newest flagship Snapdragon 8-series and just like that, we have received confirmation of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.

The company states that this new naming structure can make it easier for its customers to “discover and choose devices powered by Snapdragon” and I highly agree with this statement as there are many different models available on the market right now. With this, identifying the chips will be easy-peasy.

It was also said that the
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
 supports 150W fast-charging and will officially unveil at Qualcomm’s Tech Summit next week
– November 30 to 2 December –  so stay tuned as we provide you with more updates then.

Source

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Qualcomm confirms ROG Phone 3, Legion Gaming Phone and ZenFone 7 with Snapdragon 865

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During Qualcomm’s keynote speech this morning, the company highlighted their movements to push for 5G technology improvement, and inevitably plugged their Snapdragon 865 chipset which we know are equipped in foreign variants of the Samsung Galaxy S20, the Xiaomi Mi 10, and Realme X50 Pro 5G.

But during the presentation, Qualcomm also confirmed the other upcoming smartphones which will be equipped with the powerful chipset, effectively also affirming the devices’ impending arrival. These devices include the Black Shark 3, ROG Phone 3, ASUS ZenFone 7, Lenovo Legion Gaming Phone, vivo APEX 2020, Redmi K30 Pro and the OPPO Find X2.

The latter two phones we know exists, but we’re glad that Qualcomm had confirmed the other smartphones too, especially the ROG Phone 3 and Legion Gaming Phone, which will be Lenovo’s first foray into the gaming phone market. The vivo APEX 2020 is set to be introduced this Friday, and now we know what chipset it rocks.

This effectively means that all these devices will have support for 5G, since the chipset comes packed with a Snapdragon X55 modem.

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Qualcomm debuts the Snapdragon 821

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The race for faster speeds continues in the mobile world as Qualcomm has created a chip that is a step above the Snapdragon 820. Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you the Snapdragon 821.

Claimed to be 10% faster than the Snapdragon 820, the Snapdragon 821 is a quad-core chip based on the custom Kryo cores. These Kryo cores will run at a maximum clock speed of 2.4GHz, which is slightly faster than the 820’s 2.15GHz cores, and presumably where the 10% increase in performance comes from. While the main cores of the Snapdragon 821 is faster than the Snapdragon 820, Qualcomm made no mention of whether or not the two slower cores in the CPU will be faster than the 1.6GHz cores that are in the current chip. What will not change however is the modem as the Snapdragon 821 will continue to sport the same 600Mbps Snapdragon X12 LTE modem as the Snapdragon 820.

No official list of phones were given as to which phones will be running the Snapdragon 821 just yet, but rumours suggest that one of the upcoming HTC Nexus phones will be sporting the chip. Rumours aside, with Google’s Tango augmented reality platform going live by the end of the year, we expect the Snapdragon 821 to be powering the Tango-ready flagships.

Source:
Ars Technica

processor
qualcomm
snapdragon821


Qualcomm expects phones with 64MP and 100MP cameras in 2019

373

Qualcomm recently updated its specs sheet for several processors that revealed that they can actually support up to 192MP cameras. However, the processors will only be able to support a single 192MP camera and will have to go without features like Multi-Frame Noise Reduction and also Zero Shutter Lag.

According to the Senior Director of Product Management at Qualcomm, Judd Heape, there will be 64MP and 100MP cameras releasing this year, as some OEMS have already started working on the project. While this isn’t what the chipset company is aiming for, Heape said that the smartphone industry walking down that path.

Few examples that can be seen regarding companies going for phones with higher megapixels include the vivo V15 Pro, Redmi Note 7 Pro and also Xiaomi Mi 9. These 48MP cameras currently combines 4 pixels into one to create a 12MP shot, so we’re assuming the same is likely to occur for 64MP cameras which will result in 16MP shots.

That aside, Heape also mentioned that Qualcomm will be implementing its own HDR10+ and will come with the newer chipset, the Snapdragon 865. However, MySmartPrice did mention that the name has yet to be finalised.

100MP
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Qualcomm’s new fingerprint sensor is 17 times larger than before

323

3D Sonic Max is Qualcomm’s upgraded in-display fingerprint sensor that is now 17 times bigger than the first 3D Sonic Sensor.

Qualcomm’s first ultrasonic fingerprint reader — the 3D Sonic Sensor — made its appearance in the Samsung Galaxy S10, but it due to various flaws and issues that followed after, the company has made numbers of improvements in the newest fingerprint sensor. While the previous sensor measures at 4mm x 9mm, the new 3D Sonic Max measures at 20mm x 30mm for better reliability and security. This sensor is said to be able to read two fingerprints, allowing extra security.

Qualcomm SVP, Alex Katouzian, also stated that the larger scanner size will prevent the 3D Sonic Max from causing screen protector issues like its predecessor. Just a while back, the Samsung Galaxy S10 could be unlocked by anyone if a screen protector was placed on top, causing lots of security issues.

Rumors suggest that Apple might be using Qualcomm’s fingerprint sensor in its iPhones next year, so the 2020 iPhones may get both in-display fingerprint sensor and Face ID.

3D Sonic Max
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Qualcomm announces the Snapdragon 865 flagship chipset that will come with X55 5G modem

413

As per a yearly tradition, Qualcomm has taken to the stage at the Snapdragon Tech Summit 2019 to announce their newest Snapdragon 865 flagship chipset.

According to The Verge, the chip will be used exclusively on 5G smartphones, however the chipset uses an external X55 modem to provide 5G connectivity instead of an integrated one. This means a higher power consumption and price.

What’s surprising is that Qualcomm had also introduced the lower-end Snapdragon 765 chipset, which comes with an integrated 5G modem. With the X55 modem however, you get a more adaptable smartphone that can support multiple 5G standards.

According to
Lowyat.net
, the chipset is capable of offering 2 Gigapixel images meaning you can put a 200MP sensor on the phone and even capture 8K videos.

The chipset will be available in 2020 and other sources
re
port
 that Xiaomi and OPPO will be the first few brands to adopt the new chipset.

chipset
flagship
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Snapdragon 865
xiaomi


Qualcomm hints at a new OnePlus handset with its Snapdragon 821 chipset

274

Rumors of a OnePlus 3T could indeed be real, especially after a special teaser by chip making company Qualcomm. Qualcomm has brought to its Twitter feed a surprise announcement, stating that something new from OnePlus is in the works and that the device will be powered by Qualcomm’s own Snapdragon 821 processor. This revives the recent rumors that have surrounded OnePlus with an alleged OnePlus 3T handset.

Not too long ago, several rumors have arose regarding a slightly more improved and refreshed version of the OnePlus 3, said to be named the OnePlus 3T. One of the initial rumors that emerged was that the OnePlus 3T will be reverting back to using LCD panels, considering the fact that the OnePlus 3 had negative impressions and reviews regarding its AMOLED pen tile display. However, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei was quick to shoot down the rumors, claiming that the company will be using AMOLED panels for the foreseeable future.

Other rumors suggest that the OnePlus 3T will sport a Sony IMX395 sensor for its rear camera, with a wider f/1.7 aperture, retaining the 16 megapixels. Alongside the Snapdragon 821 chip, the handset is expected to retain its massive 6GB RAM configuration, coupled with 64GB of non-expandable storage. A recent claim by popular tipster Evan Blass tells us that the OnePlus 3T will get a 10 percent increase in battery capacity from 3,000mAh to 3,300mAh, and will cost $80 (RM336.00) more than the current OnePlus 3.

We certainly do hope that OnePlus won’t keep us waiting for too long, now that Qualcomm has dropped a major hint. What do you think?

Source:
Qualcomm (Twitter)

3
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Qualcomm introduces Snapdragon 450 and a lower end Android Wear chipset

378

Qualcomm continues to make strides in mobile technology innovation, this time introducing a new Snapdragon 400 series processor and a new Snapdragon Wear chip at Mobile World Congress Shanghai. As its top tier mobile processors continue to break new grounds, it is necessary for Qualcomm to play catch up with its mid range and entry level chips as well, which is precisely what it is doing.

The company has unveiled the all new Snapdragon 450 processor for smartphones. The Snapdragon 450 is a standard upgrade from the Snapdragon 435 processor in many aspects, but it now sports a 14nm process, down from the SD435’s 28nm fabrication. This makes the Snapdragon 435 the smallest entry level chipset by Qualcomm thus far. The smaller process also means that the SD450 is significantly more energy efficient compared to previous Snapdragon 400 series processors, allowing room to increase the core frequencies to 1.8 GHz.

The Snapdragon 450 also comes with the Adreno 606 GPU, featuring 25 percent better performance, including an image signal processor which now supports up to 21MP for rear cameras, or dual 13MP cameras with real time bokeh capabilities and Qualcomm Real Sight. The chipset now supports USB 3.0 data transfer speeds too.

Qualcomm has also launched a lower end Snapdragon Wear chip, known as the Snapdragon Wear 1200. The key point of this new chip is not its lesser performance, but its lower power consumption. For starters, it only sports one 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7. It features a low power and low speed CAT-M1 and CAT-NB1 LTE modem which is capable of sub par speeds, but sufficient enough for smartwatch use. It is likely that we will see more affordable Android Wear smartwatches in the future with the introduction of this new chipset.

Both the Snapdragon 450 and Snapdragon Wear 1200 are expected to make appearances underneath the hoods of respective devices and wearables some time in Q4 2017.

14nm process
android wear
chipset
entry level
low end
processor
qualcomm
snapdragon 450
snapdragon wear 1200


Qualcomm introduces the first 5G antennas for smartphones

358

5G networks are in the final stages of development and that means we will be able to experience the benefits in connectivity and speeds that comes with 5G. Ahead of the pack is obviously Qualcomm which has recently unveiled their new QTM052 mmWave antenna modules which will go into smartphones.

5G allows for faster speeds but at a shorter range, and the issue is not with the network, but with the hardware that is used to receive the signals. Qualcomm believes that with its new antenna, which is as small as a coin, is able to accurately target a 5G tower and can bounce signals off surfaces to get the signals. The antenna module is so small, that it can be implemented into the bezels of the phone and with Qualcomm’s X50 Modem, it can support up to four antenna arrays at each side of the phone, totalling up to 16 antennas for your phone.

How well this system will work in the real-world usage is still unknown, but we should be able to know as early as the beginning of 2019 which is roughly the time we will see phones that support 5G connectivity, providing 5G towers are available by then.

5g
antenna
model
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x50


Qualcomm introduces the Snapdragon 653, 626 and 427 mid-range SoCs

327

Today, Qualcomm has announced three new processors, two of which comes from the company’s mid-range Snapdragon 600 line, while the other is part of the Snapdragon 400 series. These processors are the Snapdragon 653, the Snapdragon 626, and the Snapdragon 427.

We start of with the Snapdragon 653, the direct successor to the Snapdragon 652. This processor sports a 1.95GHz CPU as well as multiple architectural improvements, giving it a 10 percent performance increase over the 652. The Snapdragon 653 comes with 8GB of addressable RAM, and comes with Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) on VoLTE calls. The Snapdragon 653 will be pin and software compatible with the Snapdragon 650 and 652.

Next up is the Snapdragon 626. Sporting a 2.2GHz CPU, as well as a 10 percent performance improvement over the Snapdragon 625, the Snapdragon 626 comes with Qualcomm’s TruSignal antenna boost, a piece of technology that is engineered to improve signal reception in congested areas. The Snapdragon 626 is pin compatible with the Snapdragon 625, and it will be software compatible with the Snapdragon 625, 425, 427, 430, and 435.

Finally, we have the OEM-centric Snapdragon 427. The Snapdragon 427 is the first in the 400-series to come with TruSignal antenna tuning, giving it better voice and data quality. The Snapdragon 427 is pin and software compatible with the Snapdragon 425, 430 and 435. It will also be software compatible with the Snapdragon 625 and 626.

All three processors mentioned above will come with an integrated Snapdragon X9 LTE modem that is engineered to achieve up to 50 percent faster upload speeds than the preexisting X8 LTE. The processors will support Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology, and it’ll have dual camera support for clear imaging and photos across a wide variety of lighting and shooting situations.

Source:
Qualcomm

processors
qualcomm
snapdragon427
snapdragon626
snapdragon653
soc


Qualcomm introduces the Snapdragon 670 upper mid-range processor

357

The mid-range phone market is the money maker, with companies offering phones with good performing mid-range processors for the price that we would expect entry-level phones to have. Qualcomm wants to improve the mid-range segment with the recently announced Snapdragon 670 mobile processor.

You might also remember that Qualcomm has released the Snapdragon 710 processor that places itself between the 600 and 800 series processor. The 710 is meant to offer users better performance than a mid-range processor but at a cheaper price. The 670 takes a lot of its specifications from the 710 as it comes with two Kryo 360 cores clocked at 2.0GHz and six Kryo 360 cores clocked at 1.7GHz. For graphics, it uses the Adreno 615 GPU which is just a small step down from the Adreno 616 which is used in the Snapdragon 710 processor and supports a single 25MP sensor or dual 16MP sensors. Overall, it blurs the line between the 600 series and 700 series but will cost lower than the 710 processor.

The processor is now available for phone manufacturers to implement in their upcoming phones and we should expect to see phones using this processor very soon.

mid-range
mobile
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Qualcomm is rebranding the Snapdragon 670 processor as the Snapdragon 710

322

The Snapdragon 670 processor was supposed to be unveiled by Qualcomm during MWC 2018, but up until the end of the show, we did not see the announcement. The processor was to come with the new Xiaomi devices with the codenames Comet and Sirius but it looks like Qualcomm has decided to rebrand the 670 processor to the Snapdragon 710 processor.

This information comes from XDA Developers that has managed to get their hands on the firmware files from these two phones. The updated firmware of these two phones shows that they reference the Snapdragon 710 instead of the 670. Another reliable source has also confirmed that Qualcomm is rebranding the processor, which makes the 710 processor the first processor in the 700-series. The processor comes with the same specs as the 670, it is an octa-core processor with the Adreno 615 graphics chip that comes in a frequency range of 430MHz and 700MHz. It comprises of a dual-core Cortex A75 processor and a hexa-core Cortex A55 low-end processor, confirmed by the screenshot of the Xiaomi’s firmware codes.

Other than that, it is reported that the Comet phone will come with an OLED display that supports Always-On feature and comes with Android 8.1 and a 3,100mAh battery. The Sirius also comes with an OLED screen and has a notch. It will also come with Android 8.1 and a slightly bigger 3,120mAh battery.

670
710
comet
processor
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Qualcomm is releasing the Snapdragon 850 processor exclusively for Windows 10 ARM devices

370

Qualcomm has been hard at work getting the Snapdragon 845 to run a Windows 10 laptop and based on demo units we have seen, it seems to work out pretty well for everyday usage minus hardcore gaming. However, recently there is a listed for a Snapdragon processor that is clocked higher than the 845 and indicators point to it being the 850 processor.

Based on Winfuture.de, they said the Snapdragon 850 is just a higher clocked 845 processor, similar to the 821 and 820 processors. Don’t expect to see the 850 processors in flagship phones, as this processor will be used in ARM Windows 10 devices. Other than just having higher clock speeds, it still comes with the same X20 modem and Gigabit LTE as the 845. Companies like HP, Lenovo and Asus are working on implementing the 850 processor in their future devices. All three companies have devices in the works and are looking at a Summer release.

The summer release was the biggest indicator that they are developing Snapdragon 850 powered laptops, as some documentation are indicating that the 850 will see a summer announcement.

10
850
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Qualcomm is testing the new QM215 to accommodate Android Go phones

383

Qualcomm is bringing a new option for entry-level phones such as phones that run on Android Go, hence the company is creating a chipset called QM215 which will not be involved in the Snapdragon series.

However, GSMArena did mention that the QM215 will be slightly similar to the Snapdragon 410 and 425 chipsets as it will comes with a quad-core CPU that is expected to be the Cortex-A53 cores. In addition, its CPU and GPU are expected to be clocked at 1.3GHz and 650MHz respectively.

Qualcomm is also reported to be testing phones with 1/2GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 8/16GB storage which is typically most of the entry-level phones or phones that runs on Android Go to see how the chipset performs. HUAWEI appears to be involved in these tests and the companies are trying out the chipset with phones that have HD+ displays and fingerprint readers.

We might not know which phone will be the first to equip this chipset, but it’s quite possible that we will be seeing this chipset within this year itself.

chipset
QM215
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Qualcomm may be fined 1 trillion Won for abusing its patents in South Korea

333

Qualcomm may be on the receiving end of some bad news in South Korea as it appears that the Fair Trade Commission of South Korea is set to fine the chipmaker up to 1 trillion won for abusing its patents.

The source of this fine stems from a 17-month investigation into Qualcomm. According to the FTC, Qualcomm has been charging Korean manufacturers excessively high licensing fees for their chips. According to reports from The Korea Times, Qualcomm has allegedly calculated the fees on the basis of the wholesale prices of the phones temselvess, instead of collecting licensing fees only based on its CDMA-related patents. “Qualcomm has been collecting royalty fees from mobile phone manufactureres based on certain fixed rates from the suggested price of a mobile device,” says an FTX official speaking to The Korea Times. “Qualcomm should have sought royalty fees based on each chipset.”

The FTC is expected to issue the first verdict in this case  on the 20th of July. Should Qualcomm be found guilty, this will be the largest fine that the FTC has ever issued.

Source:
The Korea Time
,
Android Authority

chips
fine
legal
patents
qulacomm
southkorea


Qualcomm now wants Apple to stop selling the iPhone XS and iPhone XR in China

374

The legal battle between Qualcomm and Apple has escalated next level, as the former has recently won the lawsuit in banning old iPhone models (iPhone X and older) due to patent infringement, it now doesn’t want to spare the new iPhone XS and iPhone XR.

The patent that Apple infringed is related to app management and resizing photos, which Apple has already resolved in iOS 12, and theoretically the company should not be affected by the ban should all of the retail units are being upgraded to iOS 12.

Nonetheless, Qualcomm is expected to use the same argument to attempt to ban Apple’s sales in China, however The Financial Times reported that this could be a strategy to lead Apple to settlement talks, which is already probably too late by now as Apple already has intentions to make its own modems for future iPhones to sever ties with Qualcomm.

Qualcomm, just let this rest and make more awesome chips for Android phones, can’t you?

iphone xr
qualcomm


Qualcomm continues business with Huawei as component shipments resume

385

The trade war between the Trump Administration and Huawei has, at this point, become quite played out. The initial uncertainty among all involved have somewhat softened over the last month or so – with this, Qualcomm’s CEO Steve Mollenkopf has made it known to the public that they are resuming business operations with Huawei.

Image credit: CNBC

Part of the tabled rules of the trade war imposed by Big Daddy Trump himself was that American companies were not allowed to deal with Huawei in any way at all. After much backlash and lobbying by the big brands against the ban, the Government in July, issues licences to organizations who wanted to work with Huawei – but only widely-available products can be shipped to the Chinese company.

This means that Qualcomm’s resumed trading with Huawei would mostly likely involve providing the smartphone and laptop makers with chipsets only. According to GSM Arena, more than 130 US companies have requested the aforementioned license to continue doing business with Huawei, which should provide some relief to those rooting for the ban to stop.

Despite this, Huawei’s future is still muddy – during the launch of the Huawei Mate 30 series in Munich, it was clear that upcoming phones from Huawei will not come loaded with the Google Play Store, and along with it Google apps. The Mate 30 will come with EMUI 10 based on Android 10, so there’s that – but recent reports suggest that you can’t sideload Play Store onto the device anyway.

This are looking up even if at the slightest bit, so unless President Trump decides to do something absurd again, Huawei looks to be on the right track to regaining their foothold in the industry.

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Qualcomm Quick Charge 5: From 0 to 50% battery in only 5 minutes

416

Qualcomm’s latest charging solution is the
Quick Charge 5
 that promises to fully charge a phone in just 15 minutes.

Quick Charge 5: 100W+, Dual Charge technology

Quick Charge 5 is not only faster but also more efficient,

supporting up to 50% charge in just five minutes. It features 100W+ charging power and uses Dual Charge technology and has better thermal management, making it four times faster and 70% more efficient as compared to Quick Charge 4/4+.

Backward compatible

Quick Charge 5 also supports backward compatibility, meaning that it’ll still support older Quick Charge devices and accessories, though the fastest charging speed is only as fast as their chargers allow.

The introduction of Quick Charge 5 can only mean one thing — we’ll be seeing the technology in several devices this year, especially since
fast charging
 has become an important factor in a smartphone.

fast charging
qualcomm
Quick Charge 5


Qualcomm rejects Broadcom’s acquisition proposal

271

Last week saw Broadcom’s unexpected proposal to acquire chip making giant Qualcomm, in attempts to combine its resources to manufacture semiconductor content for smartphones. Broadcom, a company which significantly contributes to the making of Apple’s iPhones, offered a whopping $130 billion to acquire Qualcomm, and the latter company has rejected the offer.

Qualcomm, probably the biggest name when it comes to mobile chips, has made some strides on its own, dominating the smartphone market with its Snapdragon series of processors, plus its processors in Android smartwatches as well. In a statement released by the company, Qualcomm’s rejection of Broadcom’s “unsolicited” proposal was due to the fact that it is still confident in growing as a company, along with its ventures and pioneering of the upcoming 5G technology.

Qualcomm’s ongoing legal court battles behind the scenes with its main rival Apple might be what fueled Broadcom’s decision to acquire the company. The latter company has always been known to acquire other companies to venture into new markets, having acquired smaller companies nearly every single year since 1999.

It looks like Qualcomm will still be working independently for now, while Broadcom will continue manufacturing components for the big A.

android
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Qualcomm releases Snapdragon 412 and 212

346

Last year, Qualcomm reveals a mid-range and an entry-level chipset with LTE support with the right timing for a minor refresh on both of the chipset. The Snapdragon 412 and 212 have a minor improvement over the 410 and 210, due to the increase clock speeds.

The company uses 64-bit Cortex-A53 cores and Adreno 306 on the new Snapdragon 412. Previously, the 410 have the same CPU and GPU with a higher frequencies plus enhanced memory speeds. Besides that, the chip is using a 28nm processor with the clock speed bump up from 1.2 GHz to 1.4 GHz. In addition, the chipset allows screen resolution up to 1920 x 1200 pixel and FullHD video recording with the rear camera up to 13 MP.

In other hand, the Snapdragon 212 will feature four 32-bit Cortex A7 cores and Adreno 304 graphics. The Snapdragon 212 has a 28nm processor and the clock speed increase from 1.1 GHz to 1.3 GHz. However, the Snapdragon 212 only can supports 720p screens and up to 1080p video recording (similar with Snapdragon 412) with the rear camera up to 8 MP.

Both of the chipsets features Cat.4 LTE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, CDMA carriers and USB 2.0 with Quick Charge 2.0. We should start seeing devices with the new chipsets soon though don’t expect any major improvements in performance over existing models.

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Qualcomm reveals the Snapdragon 675, an upgraded chipset for midrange phones

304

Qualcomm is introducing a new chipset for the mid-range smartphones in 2019, and it is called the Snapdragon 675.

Image credit : Qualcomm

The Snapdragon 675 is an upgrade of the Snapdragon 670 that was launched in August this year. It comes with the 4th generation Kryo 460 CPU and the 6th generation Adreno 612 GPU which are said to result in 30% faster game launch, 35% faster web browsing and 20% faster music launch and 15% faster social media launch. The chipset is designed with the purpose of enhancing three aspects; gaming, photography and artificial intelligence (AI).

With better components, the Snapdragon 675 can lead to smoother gaming experience and stronger connectivity when it comes to online games. The chipset is said to be able to provide faster frame rates and better audio quality as it uses the Qualcomm Aqstic that has advanced noise reduction and aptX audio that offers CD-like quality wireless audio.

Image credit : Engadget

Apart from that, the Snapdragon 675 has the 2nd generation Qualcomm Spectra 250L ISP which can produce high-resolution images, 4K video recording at 30fps and also supports 48-megapixel snapshots. Smartphones with the Snapdragon 675 will be also be able to have up to three cameras with 5x optical zoom thanks to the Spectra 250L ISP. The upgraded chipset will also be the first in the 600 series to offer 720p slow-motion video, in addition to having built-in enhancements to support portrait mode and HDR.

The Snapdragon 675 also comes with an upgraded AI engine which is used for face unlock and it’s faster and more accurate compared to the Snapdragon 670, in addition to having better voice recognition. Lastly, the chipset is integrated with the Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ technology that can charge smartphone batteries from 0 to 50% in 15 minutes.

Qualcomm said that the Snapdragon 675 is expected to appear in smartphones at the first quarter of 2019, and Xiaomi has already announced that they will be launching a new smartphone running on the new chipset.

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Qualcomm says 5G smartphones will be ready in 2019

332

We have seen telcos like Celcom teasing the arrival of 5G, Qualcomm has today announced the Snapdragon X50 5G single-chip modem today at the Qualcomm 4G/5G summit. The company has claimed that they have been able to establish a 5G connection with more than gigabit per second speeds with multi carrier aggregation and an over-the-air connection using their 28GHz mmWave antenna module.

With that, the chipset maker has also unveiled their first reference phone with the Snapdragon X50 modem, which allows developers to test and optimize 5G mmWave performance within the constraints of a mobile form factor. With the success of this development, Qualcomm has even gone on Twitter and says that we can expect 5G smartphones in 2019, hence we should be able to see manufacturers teasing about the chip throughout the end of next year.

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Qualcomm is eager to sell their 5G Snapdragon chips to Huawei

2.2K

Giant smartphone chip makers Qualcomm has voiced out their intention to continue doing business with Huawei – or more specifically, continue to produce 5G Snapdragon chips to Huawei for their flagship smartphones.

The thing is, Qualcomm hasn’t totally been shut off from working with Huawei – the company previously got the
greenlight
 to ship components over to Huawei using a license; this license was introduced as a way for President Trump to keep tabs on American companies that deal with Huawei.

Image credit: Slash Gear

This time in particular, Qualcomm wants a new license so they ship 5G-ready chipsets to potentially power Huawei’s upcoming flagships. Should Qualcomm fail to obtain that license, they fear that Huawei will take their multi-billion-dollar business elsewhere, most likely to foreign competitors.

This refers to
MediaTek
 and Samsung as they both have capacity to produce their own 5G chipsets too. According to reports, Qualcomm also argues that the money they generate from the business will go into funding the development of new technologies.

But, regardless of what chipsets Huawei are able to use, the lack of Google Mobile Services to be a big deciding factor for customers – but should they secure a deal with Qualcomm, perhaps other American
companies
, like Google, could follow suit.

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Qualcomm shows off Snapdragon 835 powered Windows laptops with 24 hours battery life

312

The default processors that come in laptops are either Intel or AMD, but now Qualcomm wants to join the party and recently announced the HP Envy x2 tablet and an Asus NovaGo ultrabook which are both equipped with the Snapdragon 835 processors and is said to provide two days of battery life.

HP Envy x2

The Envy x2 will come with a 12.3-inch WUXGA+ display, Snapdragon 835 Mobile PC Platform chip, 8GB LPDDR4, up to 256GB of storage and pre-installed with Windows 10 S. The Asus NovaGo, on the other hand, comes with a 13.3-inch FHD panel, Snapdragon 835 Mobile PC Platform, 8GB of RAM and storage of up to 256GB UFS 2.0. This device will also come pre-installed with Windows 10 S.

Asus NovaGo

The chip maker is providing this solution mainly because users demand at least a full day of use on their phones, they want to extend this battery life demand over to laptops. These PCs will be running on Windows 10 but they will be emulating non-UWP apps, so users should expect slightly slower performance but you will be getting 14 to 24 hours of battery life easily.

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Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 offers affordable 5G connectivity

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Qualcomm has just announced the
Snapdragon 480
 chipset that’ll bring 5G
connectivity
 to affordable smartphones this year.

We’ve seen a slew of wallet-friendly
5G
 chips arrive last year, but the Snapdragon 480 will take the cake for being the most affordable while still offering – quite interestingly – flagship features.

Think 120Hz display support at FHD+ resolution, 64MP camera sensors, and support for Sub-6 and
mmWave
 5G
connectivity
 thanks to the built-in Qualcomm X51 modem.

The chip is built on an 8nm platform and packs a
Kryo
 460 CPU which can be clocked up to 2 GHz. The chipset also comes with an Adreno 619 GPU which should do fine with modern-day mobile games like Mobile Legends and Call of Duty: Mobile.

The Snapdragon 480 also supports Quick Charge 4+ standards for fast charging; considering that this chip will power budget phones, and these devices usually pack large capacity
batteries, proper
 fast charging support is important.

We should be seeing the Snapdragon 480 being used in a smartphone within Q1 of this year and we’re excited to see what affordable 5G smartphones can do.

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Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 announced for midrange phones

351

Qualcomm has a new midrange chipset in the
Snapdragon 678
 – it replaces the two-year-old
Snapdragon 675
 and brings necessary upgrade across the board.

Making up the chipset are the higher-clocked Kyro 460 CPU and improved Adreno 612 GPU. The chipset is also equipped with the Spectra 250L ISP which allows up to 48MP resolution and zero shutter lag. It’s embedded with Qualcomm’s 3
rd
-Gen AI Engine that improves portrait mode, low-light capture, and laser autofocus.

For connectivity, there’s a Snapdragon X12 LTE Modem that supports up to 600Mbps download speeds, and 150Mbps download speeds. There’s support for Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4+ tech as well.

There’s no word yet on what phones will be equipped with the Snapdragon 678, but we’ll keep you posted when we receive more information.

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Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 launched: Makes 5G smartphones affordable

409

Qualcomm has announced the
Snapdragon 690
 chipset which will be the first in the SD 600 line-up to support 5G connectivity.

What makes it tick?

Image credit: Qualcomm

It comes packed with an X51 modem that lets the chip connect to sub-6Ghz bands. This is Qualcomm’s bid to make 5G smartphone more affordable in the near future as it slowly becomes the networking standard.

Premium features

But affordability doesn’t mean boring – the Snapdragon 690 offers provisions for a bunch of premium features such as 120Hz display support at FHD+ resolutions, 4K HDR video recording, Quick Charge 4+ fast charging support, Wi-Fi 6, and more.

Early adopters

The first smartphone makes to use the new chipset include LG, Motorola, Sharp, TCL and more. The only other chipsets from Qualcomm that support 5G are the SD 865, which is for flagship devices, and the SD 765 and
SD 768
, which are made for upper mid-range smartphones.

So, with the Snapdragon 690, we’re excited to see 5G become more
accessible
 to the masses, but at the same time not lose out on top-notch smartphone features like the ones offered by the chipset.

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WiFi 6
x51 modem


Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 compute platform for budget-laptops

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Qualcomm
 has just launched their new Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 compute platform for entry-level portable devices.

The company claims that the chip offers 10 percent faster system performance compared to most competing platforms, while also being power-efficient. The SD 7c Gen 2 allows for up to 19 hours of battery life too.

Also important is the chip’s support for LTE connectivity on top of
WiFi
 – the goal for the SD 7c Gen 2 is to utilized in affordable laptops for study and work, where one-the-go usage is highly expected.

Enabling all this is Qualcomm’s fifth-generation AI Engine that helps in improving device security, more accurate voice recognition, and more.

On top of that, the chip supports Windows 10 Hypervisor meaning Windows laptops using the chip will are Microsoft Secured-Core PCs.

Rounding off the chip’s offerings are support for virtual surround sound, echo cancellation with noise suppression, 4K HDR media consumption, and more, for entertainment and video conferencing purposes.

Devices sporting the Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 are expected to arrive this mid-June.

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Qualcomm introduces Snapdragon 855 Plus with better gaming, AI and cellular performance

360

The Snapdragon 855 chipset is arguably the most powerful smartphone chipset in the market now – it’s used in flagships like the Xiaomi Mi 9, Samsung Galaxy S10 (in certain regions), OPPO Reno 10x Zoom and more.

It’s been serving these heavy-duty devices well so far, but now Qualcomm have come out to announce the mid-year upgrade of the chipset – the Snapdragon 855 Plus. The new-and-improved chipset is more capable when it comes to gaming – Qualcomm claims that the
Kyro
 485 CPU Prime now offers a peak clock speed of 2.96GHz, compared to the regular SD 855’s peak of 2.84GHz; while the Adreno 640 GPU now boasts a 15% increase on performance.

Image credit: Qualcomm

Qualcomm also says that the SD 855 Plus improves on AI, 5G connectivity and VR support too. It still uses two modems – the Snapdragon X24 LTE 4G and the Qualcomm X50 5G modem – for cellular performance.

The Snapdragon 855 Plus is said to arrive later this year, and could be seen in the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 10 – although we doubt the Malaysian version will still sport Samsung’s own
Exynos
 chipsets.

adreno
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Qualcomm’s next Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset may be embedded with a 5G modem

353

You may have set your eyes on a brand new phone that uses the flagship Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset, but with 5G phone on their way to us this year, you’re reconsidering. Well, if you’re set on the new Snapdragon 865 chipset, you might want to wait again because rumour has it Qualcomm is going to make a plus version of this chipset.

The current Snapdragon 865 chipset that supports 8K recording, 200MP cameras and more is already an amazing chipset, but a tipster has recently leaked on Weibo that Qualcomm will be introducing the Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset in the third quarter of 2020.

With the Snapdragon 855 and Snapdragon 855 Plus chipsets, the latter had its GPU and CPU core clock speeds increased, offering better frame rates when it comes to the displays. The Snapdragon 865 and 865 Plus should be almost similar, but reports are suggesting that the plus version will feature an integrated 5G modem.

When the Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset is launched, we should be expecting a price drop in the Snapdragon 865 chipset. That could mean that 5G phones will be slightly cheaper than they are now, so you should definitely wait for a few more months before you consider getting a 5G phone.

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Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 launched

703

Qualcomm has just
announced
 the Snapdragon 870 5G, a flagship chipset that sits just below the
Snapdragon 875
 series.

The chipset is essentially a higher-clocked version of the Snapdragon 865+ – its prime core runs at 3.2GHz, from 3.1GHz on the SD 865+. This breathes new life into the brand’s 7nm chipset and we could very well see this in lower-end flagships this year.

The chip uses the Kryo 585 CPU and the Adreno 650 GPU. Like the Snapdragon 865+, the 870 supports up 64MP cameras, and 8K video recording. There’s an external Qualcomm X55 modem, so the chipset is 5G-ready as well.

According to reports, we can expect brands such as OnePlus, OPPO and Xiaomi to be some of the first to utilize the new chipset, and we’re definitely excited to see how it fairs against Snapdragon 888 phones in terms of value.

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Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 launched: New 5G modem and GPU

783

The
Snapdragon 888
 flagship chipset has been launched and it will power flagship smartphones in 2021, including brands like BlackShark,
realme
, OnePlus, OPPO, vivo, and Xiaomi – the usual suspects, basically.

The Snapdragon 888 packs an 8
th
-Gen Snapdragon X60 5G modem that supports
mmWave
 and Sub-6 bands of 5G. There’s also support for carrier aggregation, global multi-SIM, stand alone, non-stand alone, and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing.

Image credit: Qualcomm

When it comes to performance, the chip is supposedly capable of 144FPS gaming on mobile devices thanks to updatable graphics drivers for a new Adreno GPU. On top of that, the drivers for said GPU can also be updated down the line, extending its life-cycle even longer.

In spite of improved more powerful hardware, the chipset is also more power-efficient thanks to the new 6
th
-Gen Qualcomm AI Engine which uses lower-power always on AI processing features to run the show.

https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/news/20/12/snapdragon-888-announced/gsmarena_001.mp4

When it comes to imaging, the chip uses a new Spectra ISP that’s 35% faster which Qualcomm claims let smartphone capture about 120 photos at 12MP resolution at a speed of 2.7 gigapixels per second. In terms of connectivity, there’s also support for
WiFi
 6E and Bluetooth 5.2.

One of the first smartphones to pack the new Snapdragon processor will be the
Xiaomi Mi 11
, and according to previous reports, we could see its arrival this January.

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Qualcomm Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 announced with a new Razer dev kit

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Earlier this week during Qualcomm’s annual Tech Summit, they announced their flagship
 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
, and now we get a look at the new chip that Qualcomm has in store – the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1.

This chip isn’t just for mobile phones, as the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 won’t be limited in size or thermals because it was not made to exclusively fit a smartphone, so this will allow you to stream games from a console, PC, or cloud service, which would be great for anyone who likes to game on the go.

As for the specifications of the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1, Qualcomm disclosed very little information and only revealed that it uses a Kryo CPU alongside an Adreno GPU that will give you 144fps when running games at a 4K resolution with 10-bit HDR enabled. It is also revealed that it will include Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and Snapdragon Sound support.

But perhaps the most interesting reveal of the chip, was the Snapdragon G3x Handheld Gaming Developer Kit made by Razer, to test the capabilities of the chip. The device has a 6.65-inch FHD+ OLED display that pushes a 120Hz refresh rate and has a FHD 5MP webcam that can record at 60fps, which is all being powered by a 6,000mAh battery.

And of course, this is only made for developers so you won’t be able to purchase this product. No other devices carrying the chip have been announced yet either, as developers need to get their hands on this chip in order to start making devices with it. So if you want to see more about the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1, head over to
Qualcomm’s website
.

Razer handheld console
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Qualcomm works with ASUS to launch Snapdragon-branded gaming smartphone

499

HAH! It’s happening – Qualcomm is apparently making its very own gaming smartphone! It looks like the market’s growing popularity is rubbing off on the chip makers, so they’ll be partnering up with long-time customer ASUS to make the dream happen.

Qualcomm will hold a Snapdragon event this December 1-2 and will possibly launch the
Snapdragon 875
 chipset as well.

Asus’
 role in the partnership will, probably, be to provide the shell for which the Snapdragon 875 will power; but to what extent the phone will resemble Asus’s own
ROG Phone
 is left to be seen.

With that said, there will also be questions asked about how the partnership will mean for the
Asus’
 own gaming smartphone – we don’t know enough about the deal to make any speculations yet. But in any case, all we’re hoping is a beastly device from the pair that won’t resemble too much of the ROG Phone.

In any case, stay tuned for our coverage of the
event
 happening this December.

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Qualcomm Snapdragon ZenFones to be unveiled in June

267

Asus’ Zenfones are usually known for their Intel SoC’s packed in them. In fact, they have turned out to be one of Intel’s biggest partners when it comes to mobile devices. However, the growing competition of mobile processors has caused Intel to scrape their plans for future mobile processors. As a results, we will be looking Qualcomm Snapdragon chips under the hoods of the next iteration of Zenfones.

According to Digi Times, Asus CEO Jerry Shen has stated that the next Zenfone lineup will be unveiled next month. The statement by Shen could mean that Asus will be launching the Zenfones in conjunction with Computex at Taiwan. According to him, some of the Zenfone 3 handsets will be powered by MediaTek chips as well, but Qualcomm will be taking a big cut of 90% of the Zenfones.

Not too long ago, the Zenfones were leaked on a design awards website, Red Dot. Hence, we do already know a thing or two regarding the next generation of Zenfones. Let us know your thoughts at the comments section below!

Source:
DigiTim
es

3
computex
june
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Qualcomm sued by U.S. Federal Trade Commission over anti-competitive practices

246

Qualcomm’s method of conducting business has landed the company in hot soup as it is being sued by the United States Federal Trade Commission over “anti-competitive practices” due to the way the company sells modems for devices like smartphone.

The key to this suit is Qualcomm’s “no license, no chips” policy. This policy allows Qualcomm to refuse to sell its chip to companies that do not agree with its licensing terms. As Qualcomm is one of the only companies that can supply large quantities of high-end modems found on its chips, companies that do not agree with the terms would not be able to acquire enough chips to make enough phones.

On top of that, Qualcomm has also refused to license standard-essential patents to competitors despite the fact that the company is commited to such an action on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. With Qualcomm refusing to license the patents to competing suppliers, this allows the company to overcharge phone makers.

Not surprisingly, Qualcomm has since stated that the FTC’s lawsuit is without merits. “The portrayal of facts offered by the FTC as basis for the agency’s case is significantly flawed. In particular, Qualcomm has never withheld or threatened to withhold chip supply in order to obtain agreement to unfair or unreasonable licensing terms. The FTC’s allegation to the contrary – the central thesis of the complaint – is wrongm” says a statement issued by Qualcomm.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Qualcomm’s business practices has landed the company in trouble. Both South Korean and Chinese regulators have found Qualcomm guilty over anti-competitive licensing terms, so it isn’t any surprise that the FTC believes that Qualcomm has done so as well. Qualcomm has stated that it intends to fight the case all the way to the federal court if necessary, so this saga will continue for quite a while more.

Source:
The Verge
,
Federal Trade Commission

anticompetitive
business
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unitedstates


Qualcomm reportedly now has permission to supply chips to Huawei

467

Chinese giants Huawei were reportedly running out of high-end chips to power their smartphones – this came only a few months ago, prior to the launch of their
Mate 40
 series, which ran on their Kirin 9000 chipset. If those reports were true, it may seem that next year’s models from Huawei will suffer due to this shortage of processors.

In come Qualcomm, who’s previously spoken publicly of its wants to continue
supplying chips
 to Huawei, despite the trade ban imposed by US President Donald Trump. Qualcomm, being an American company, has
purportedly
 acquired a license to supply hardware to Huawei, which means the Chinese company will probably have next year’s Snapdragon 875 to power their upcoming flagships – namely the Huawei P50 series.

But this was only made possible with Huawei’s talks to sell their HONOR subsidiary for $15.2bil to the Shenzhen government and Digital China, among other potential shareholders. With Huawei offloading Honor, Qualcomm can now comfortably supply their chips to the company as its within their capacity.

HONOR 9A

To further seal the deal, Huawei had also paid Qualcomm $1.8bil as a patent fee to use the Snapdragon chips. On top of that, with Donald Trump on his way out of the White House, things could be on the up for all parties involved as any trade tensions between US and China could be eased with the appointment of President-elect
Joe Biden
.

It’s interesting times ahead for the tech industry and for us consumers alike – we’ll be sure to keep you updated on the latest happenings in this arena as more information comes.

5g
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Qualcomm to debut Snapdragon Flight drone platform at CES 2016

310

Qualcomm is known for making the Snapdragon line of smartphone chips. Come CES 2016, they’ll be debuing a new product in the Snapdragon line. The difference however is that this product isn’t meant for smartphones; it’s meant for drones.

The company has since put up a teaser for its new Snapdragon Flight drone platform, with the main attraction being combining both camera and communications tech onto the same board. According to Qualcomm, this platform is based on the Snapdragon 801. Judging by the trailer on Youtube, the Snapdragon Flight offers an autonomous navigation mode, allowing the drone to return to the launch pad by itself, all while avoiding any objects blocking its path.

Other features on the platform include an optical flow camera, obstacle mapping, visual inertial odometry and motion planning. The Flight will also be able to handle 4K videos and it comes with Qualcomm’s “Quick Charge” technology on board. The system runs on a 2.26GHz quad-core processor and Adreno 330 GPU. The first drone that will be based on the Snapdragon Flight is expected to come from Yuneec early this year.

drones
qualcomm
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Qualcomm to produce the Snapdragon 410E and 600E IoT chips

311

Qualcomm Snapdragons are pretty much the de-facto chips for Android smartphones, barring the occasional Kirins and Exynos. Now though, Qualcomm is taking the Snapdragons to a new sector altogether as the company has announced that it will be producing the Snapdragon 410E and 600E, both of which are made for embedded and Internet of Things devices.

In terms of specifications, the 410E is a 1.2GHz processor that comes with an Adreno 306 GPU. The chip is capable of supporting Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, and 802.11 b/g/n wireless connectivity. The chip’s low power draw means that it is ideal for Internet of Things devices. The meatier of the two chips is the 600E which is a quad-core chip that supports Bluetooth 4, GPS, and 802.11 a to ac wireless connectivity. This chip is made for more resource-intensive applications like 3D graphics rendering.

Both chips will be made available to small and medium-size manufacturers as well as Qualcomm has announced that they will be pairing with Arrow Electronics to make both chips available to all. Qualcomm has stated that these two chips will be in production until 2025, meaning that the chip will be actively supported for the next nine years.

Source:
Qualcomm

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600e
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Qualcomm to purchase NXP Semiconductor for USD47 billion

372

Qualcomm’s aim to charge into the automotive and IoT market has just gotten a huge boost as the company has announced that it will be acquiring NXP Semiconductor for USD47 billion.

Dutch-based NXP Semiconductors has been in Qualcomm’s eye for a while now. NXP is known for being the co-creator of the near-field communications (NFC) chip, and is currently working on projects that involved the automotive, security and Internet of Things industries. As Qualcomm has express interest in pushing into the Internet of Things and automotive industries, Qualcomm’s acquisition of NXP is a logical next step for the company.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Qualcomm has announces its intention to work its way into “leadership positions across mobile, automotive, IoT, security, RF (radio frequency), and networking.” The deal is expected to be finalized before the end of 2017 once it passes regulatory approvals across the globe. “By joining Qualcomm’s leading SoC capabilities and technology roadmap with NXP’s leading industry sales channels and positions in automotive, security and IoT, we will be even better positioned to empower customers and consumers to realize all the benefits of the intelligently connected world,” says Steve Mollenkopf, CEO of Qualcomm.

Source:
The Wall Street Journal
,
Ars Technica

acquisition
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Qualcomm to reveal more details about the Snapdragon 835 at CES 2017

266

Our
#Snapdragon
 835 processor will come into focus at
#CES2017
.
pic.twitter.com/fzw0DO8kBw

— Qualcomm (@Qualcomm)
December 27, 2016

Qualcomm’s next flagship processor, the Snapdragon 835, will most likely be making its public debut at CES 2017 as the company has tweeted a teaser earlier today.

Previous reports
 about the Snapdragon 835 reveals that the chip itself is manufactured on Samsung’s own 10nm FinFET process, supposedly giving it significantly improved performance and power efficiency. The Snapdragon 835 will also support Qualcomm’s own Quick Charge 4 technology that is capable of giving the smartphone five hours of battery life with just five minutes of charging time.

While the specifics of the Snapdragon 835 have yet to be revealed,
benchmark results of what is supposedly an 835 development board
 found on the GFXBench site reveal that the chip itself features an octa-core design with a clock speed of 2.2GHz. The chip could also sport an Adreno 540 GPU that is supposedly 30% faster than the Adrena 530. Of course, do take the information with a pinch of salt as the results could potentially be faked.

Source:
Android Authority

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Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon 810 chip in two devices

252

When year 2015 is about to start, we are all set to expect even more powerful devices in the market that does amazing stuff. Qualcomm’s next top-tier SoC – the Snapdragon 810, is a 64-bit octa-core silicon that will be powering most flagship devices next year, if you are a developer and can’t wait to get your hands on one to find out how it performs, Qualcomm has released a reference smartphone and
tablet
 powered by its brand new SoC.

Looking at the specs itself we already have an idea of what 2015 smartphones and
tablet
s are going to have under their hood, Qualcomm’s smartphone has a 6.17-inch Quad HD display, 4GB RAM (finally!), 32GB internal memory, 3020mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0, 13 Megapixel main camera with OIS. The
tablet
 is a 10.1-incher with a 4K display, it has 4GB RAM and 64GB of storage with the same set of camera optics, that 7560mAh battery however got us worried about power consumption though.

Developer devices don’t come cheap of course, the Snapdragon 810 powered smartphone and
tablet
 is available on Intrisync at $799 and $999 respectively, so if you got some cash to spend and can’t wait for flagship devices to sport the chip, buying either of these two devices could be your best Christmas present for the year, you’ll get the latest version of Android running on top so that’s worth something right?

Source:
 Intrisync (1)
,
Intrisync (2)


Qualcomm unveils the Snapdragon 845, Xiaomi Mi 7 will be equipped with it

373

Qualcomm’s annual Snapdragon Technology Summit gave us a whole lot of information when it comes to the future of the company, partnerships and even products. It will be a very impressive year for them as they are not only working closely with phone manufacturers but now, even with computer manufactures by implementing their chips as CPUs and modems to bring Always Connected to these devices. But rest assured they had an announcement about their latest Snapdragon 845 processor.

The processor will be built on the same 10 nm processor technology like the 835 and it will still support Gigabit LTE speeds via its X20 modem. We have already seen laptops that are equipped with the 835 processor and they confirmed that early next year, we will see laptops with the 845 processor. It will feature four Cortex A75 and four Cortex A53 cores as processing module.

Aside from that, Xiaomi also made an appearance to announce that their next years’ flagship phone will come equipped with the Snapdragon 845 processor thanks to their close relationship with Qualcomm. What we can assume is that the upcoming Xiaomi Mi 7 will be the phone equipped with the latest processor and probably the Samsung Galaxy S9, as in
previous reports
, they managed to acquire the first bulk of these processors.

845
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Qualcomm ups the mid-range ante with new Snapdragon 665, 730 and 730G chipsets

305

It’s time to move up a notch says Qualcomm as they’ve recently announced new chipsets in the form of the Snapdragon 665, 730 and 730G.

They’re all introduced as replacements to their respective predecessors – beginning with the Snapdragon 665, Qualcomm says that its capable of putting out twice as much AI capabilities as the Snapdragon 660. The chipset consists of a Kyro 260 processor which is similar to that found in the 660 chipset, an Adreno 610 GPU which is a massive upgrade the older 512; and an X12 modem that pushes 600Mbps and 150Mbps down and up speeds. With these specs, the 665 should be able to handle gaming and heavy loads much better than its predecessor.

The Snapdragon 665 also sees improvements in the camera department as Qualcomm says that it will support 48MP photography, triple camera setups, 5x optical zoom, portrait mode with HDR+ and more. With this, you can expect future mid-ranged devices to put out near flagship-level performances in several aspects.

Image credit: Qualcomm

Qualcomm had also given upper-mid range players a boost with the introduction of the Snapdragon 730 chipset that, in some ways, is similar to the bigger and badder Snapdragon 855 – according to Android Authority, both feature a Tensor Accelerator, Wi-Fi 6 and 192MP photography support.

The Snapdragon 730 sports Kyro 470 processors as well as an Adreno 618 GPU. For connectivity: the Snapdragon X15 chip that’s capable of 800Mbps and 150Mbps up and down speeds. Meanwhile, the Snapdragon 730G chipset is more gaming-centric with its overclocked Adreno 618 GPU.

Android Authority claims that we can expect phones sporting both chipsets to come by the end of the year.

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Qualcomm wants to ban the iPhone from entering the U.S

316

If you have always thought the iPhone a product made in the U.S, the Cupertino designed product is in fact manufactured in Asia, and for that, Qualcomm has seek the International Trade Commission to ban the import iPhone into its homeland, simply because Apple failed to pay billions of dollars in licensing fees for the use of smartphone chips, now this could be a big blow to the tech giant if it ever goes through.

The legal suit between the San Diego based chipmaker and Cupertino has been going on for a while now, though Apple uses Intel modems in some batches of the iPhone, there are patents that involves high speed data wireless technology allows Qualcomm to charge a certain percentage to any smartphone manufacturers, regardless if the device uses the company’s modem. Apple has argued this as an unfair business practice and accused Qualcomm of using the earnings to illegaly fund its semiconductor unit, and the company’s decision to stop paying licensing fees to Qualcomm has been a blow to the chip maker.

As always, lawsuits are always considered as the money game, its either Qualcomm offers a deal to Apple on its technology licensing fee, or Apple would pay a huge bill over this dispute, and this is going to be an interesting case for other smartphone manufacturers as well, since all smartphone makers will be required to pay Qualcomm for every device they sell.

SOURCE:
Bloomberg

apple
iphone 7
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Qualcomm will be unveiling a new Smartwatch processor on 10th September 2018

330

It has been a while since we have seen a new processor from Qualcomm that powers smartwatches. The last we heard of a new processor is the Qualcomm 2100 chip which was introduced back in 2016 and has been the standard for all Android smartwatches.

However, the company has sent out invites to media outlets overseas for an event that they will be hosting on 10th September 2018 which indicates they will be releasing a new wearable chip. The invite shows a picture of a smartwatch with the temperature in SF(San Francisco) with the title ‘It’s Time’ which is a good indicator that it will be the new wearable processor. The chip is said to be built from the ground up and should improve battery life. It will also allow for smaller devices to give users more stylish options. No other information was shared and we do not know if they will be showing off some watches that will come with the chip.

The best we can hope for is improvements and features that will enhance the experience of using a smartwatch and give more reasons to buy one.

android
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Qualcomm’s anticompetitive business kicked us out of the market, says Intel

344

In a recent court case, Intel put the blame on Qualcomm for anticompetitive business practices, causing it to lose billions of dollars.

Intel sold its modem business to Apple for $1 billion, but the business could’ve been sold for much more — if it wasn’t for Qualcomm’s licensing arrangements. Intel claimed that Qualcomm’s licensing arrangements have caused other competitors to be denied of the modem market due to the barriers to fair competition that were created by Qualcomm.

Image credit: Paco Freire/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

“Qualcomm would have you believe that its position in the market today — as the last surviving U.S. supplier of premium modem chips — is due to its “ingenuity and business acumen,” and that its rivals in the market failed simply because “they did not offer good enough chips at low enough prices.” This is simply not true,” said Intel Executive Vice President, Steven R. Rodgers.

As of now, the United States District Court has banned Qualcomm from implementing its “no license, no chips” (NLNC) policy and is currently seeking relief towards the company. The U.S. is also not the first to fine Qualcomm, as the chip-making company has been fined in several other countries such China, Korea, Taiwan and also by the European Commission.

5g
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Qualcomm’s new flagship Snapdragon 855 will be built on 7nm chips

343

Its pretty obvious that Qualcomm’s next Snapdragon flagship processor is going to be called the Snapdragon 855, we also know that the next model is called the Snapdragon X50 and both hardware will be integrated with each other, but next year, they will go by a different name.

Currently, Qualcomm categorizes their processors under the Snapdragon Mobile Platform. SoftBank Earning Result document has shown that the company will refer to their processor and modem as the Snapdragon 855 Fusion Platform. They have not mentioned why they are going with the name change but it most probably has to do with the fact that these processors are not only found in phones anymore but computers as well. We have seen during CES 2018 and MWC 2018 that big named companies are producing Windows laptops that are running on a Snapdragon 845 processor and offers the full Windows 10 experience with better battery life.

Both Qualcomm’s processor and modem will be built using 7nm chips and they are expected to come to 2019 devices, but it will be revealed late this year.

855
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Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 210 SoC will kill feature phones totally

271

When we
 reviewed the Moto E
 recently, it was actually a smartphone that is claimed to put an end to cheap feature phones, however the Snapdragon 200 chip onboard isn’t going to satisfy the power user in an entry level package. Qualcomm has announced its new Snapdragon 210 SoC, which is a new Quad-Core SoC designed for entry-level devices. The Snapdragon 210 SoC have clock speeds of 1.1GHz running on the Cortex A7 architecture, it will support LTE-A networks with speeds up to 150Mbps downlink, Dual SIM standby, QuickCharge 2.0, Bluetooth 4.1 and an improved Adreno 304 GPU.

The SoC has a reduced and more efficient 28nm process while supporting LPDDR3 533Mhz memory and eMMC 4.5 storage standards, it will also support cameras up to 8 Megapixel with Full HD video recording and playback capabilities. With all these new and exciting features, the Snapdragon 210 SoC will finally enable entry-level devices capabilities that have been missing for some time, and we should be seeing Dual SIM smartphones with LTE network support. This is a great news for smartphone makers as they can continue to focus on manufacturing great entry-level products without compromising its user experience for power.

We should be seeing devices with the chip around early 2015 and expect the prices to be around $100, so let’s see how other chipmakers like Intel and Mediatek have up their sleeves, since they are pretty much the ones that triggered off the cheap smartphone war.

Source:
Qualcomm

Via:
Engadget


Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 670 promises 25% GPU performance improvements

295

Qualcomm’s mid-range 600 chips have been pretty decent in recent times, we have been rather familiar with the efficient Snapdragon 625, and more recently the Snapdragon 660 is starting to appear on devices like the Oppo R11. Come Q1 2018, Qualcomm is expected to unveil the Snapdragon 670 system-on-chip, it is reported to come with a new Adreno 600 series GPU chip which users can expect 25 percent increase in graphics performance.

According to Pocketnow, the Snapdragon 670 is fabricated on a 10nm process, it will feature eight CPU cores, which is made of two high performance Kyro 360 Cortex-A75 cores and six power efficient Kyro Cortex-A55 cores. This is going to be an exciting upgrade over the current Snapdragon 660 processor, which is already a great performing despite having a 14nm process.

If there are no delays on production, we might actually see the company unveil more details about the chip during CES 2018 and expect production OEM devices in Mobile World Congress next year.

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