Qualcomm: upcoming high-end soc will be 7nm chip and have 5g modem as option

Qualcomm has its upcoming high-end soc produced at 7nm. In addition, manufacturers can combine the Snapdragon soc with a 5g modem, allowing them to release phones that support 5g.

The wording makes it seem as if the X50 modem for 5g is not built-in, but that manufacturers can choose to combine the soc with the modem. That is also obvious, because Qualcomm has the X50 modem produced at 10nm, which makes integration with the new Snapdragon soc difficult; the processor designer has it made at 7nm. This makes the integration of the X24 modem more obvious. That is a 7nm chip.

Qualcomm wants to release the details of the soc before the end of the year, according to the announcement. The manufacturer has not disclosed what the soc will be called. The predecessor is called Snapdragon 845, so names like Snapdragon 850 or 855 are obvious, although there are also rumors that it will be called Snapdragon 8150.

The American company says that manufacturers have received samples of the new soc. That usually happens about six months before it appears in new smartphones. They will therefore probably be on the market in the first half of next year, as has been happening for years with new Snapdragon socs.

It will not be the first smartphones with a 7nm-soc. Huawei, among others, has already announced that its Kirin 980 will be made in 7nm. The first smartphones with that soc will appear this fall. Apple may also have the A12 soc for its upcoming iPhones produced in 7nm.