Qualcomm Unveils New Chips to Fire Up Race to 5G Services

Qualcomm Unveils New Chips to Fire Up Race to 5G Services
Qualcomm

Qualcomm unveiled new chips that it said will run many of the first phones capable of connecting to new 5G services next year, according to Bloomberg.

The Snapdragon 855 includes a processor and modem to connect to wireless networks. It’s the latest version of Qualcomm’s flagship product that’s been the heart of most smartphones sold in the past decade. “In the next few months, we’ll be able to see 5G flagship smartphones that people will be able to buy,“ said Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon. “This transition is bigger than the one we had with 3G and 4G. This will be much bigger.“

For the chipmaker, the new services can’t come fast enough. Qualcomm’s revenue and profit have slumped during a bitter legal fight with Apple, which is no longer using its chips. That’s exacerbated the impact of cooling consumer interest in smartphones. Industry shipments shrank last year for the first time. Qualcomm said the 855 will outperform other chips in running artificial intelligence software such as image recognition and will also support phones capable of reading users’ fingerprints through screens.