Qualcomm has integrated its newly upgraded X12 LTE modem into its upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, providing both the 4G LTE and Wi-Fi technologies for premium tier mobile devices. With the upgraded X12 LTE modem, the new Snapdragon 820 will be the first to support LTE Advanced Cat 12 for speeds up to 600Mbps in the downlink and Cat 13 for speeds upto 150Mbps in the uplink. In addition, the new 820 also includes support for a host of other LTE-related technologies such as 4x4 Multi-Input Multi-Output ( MIMO), 2x2 MU-MIMO, LTE-U and LTE and Wi-Fi Link Aggregation(LWA).
Patchy spectrum holdings will be helped by 3 carrier aggregation in x12 modem & 820-powered smartphones #Qualcomm pic.twitter.com/Qo7VeM6SGZ
— Ian Fogg (@ianfogg42) September 16, 2015
The LWA, for example, is a method of aggregating licensed and unlicensed spectrum in a single System on a Chip (SoC). It is designed to allow mobile operators to utilize their Wi-Fi infrastructure to augment licensed LTE network capacity with unlicensed spectrum capacity.
Learn what makes the #Snapdragon X12 LTE the most advanced modem we’ve ever designed: http://t.co/mwyVLEw1nI. pic.twitter.com/8UvEEJIk16
— Qualcomm (@Qualcomm) September 15, 2015
At the same time, the Snapdragon 820 comes with a more robust VoLTE support. Its Zeroth computing platform is capable of analyzing Wi-Fi quality to determine when to shift a call from LTE to Wi-Fi or back, said Qualcomm.
Alex Katouzian, senior vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies
With technologies like 4K video, virtual reality and cognitive computing rapidly evolving, it's important to provide consumers with the speed and bandwidth to create a more compelling mobile experience.