Qualcomm announces its second gigabit LTE modem for phones

Despite the fact that its first gigabit LTE modem isn’t available in a smartphone yet, Qualcomm has already announced the successor to the chip. The Snapdragon X20 modem will boost the theoretical download speeds to 1.2Gbps from the 1Gbps that the current Snapdragon X16 modem can theoretically reach.

Of course those speeds won’t be reached on a consistent basis once the chips make it into your phone. Last year, Qualcomm told The Verge that in simulations, average speeds ranged from 112 to 307Mbps, with a peak of 533Mbps for the X16 modem. The average speeds for the X20 modem will likely surpass that, thanks to the higher max speeds. 

But if you’re hoping to see the X20 modem in the next iPhone or Samsung Galaxy, you’re out of luck — the chip won’t be available in consumer devices until early 2018, according to Ars Technica.

The article was published on : theverge