MWC 2024 is formally right here, and chipset big Qualcomm has kicked off the present with the announcement of the first-ever 2×2 chip to mix Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Extremely-Wideband (UWB). It’s additionally enhanced with AI, in fact.
The Qualcomm FastConnect 7900 is anticipated to launch within the second half of this yr, and it feels like a giant deal. In keeping with Qualcomm, the Wi-Fi system will adapt to completely different environments and use circumstances to ship the most effective efficiency doable throughout a variety of gadgets. It additionally supposedly has 40% much less energy utilization than the earlier era.
The superior proximity consciousness options are key to this chip, which mixes Wi-Fi Ranging, Bluetooth Channel Sounding and UWB to assist customers join gadgets extra seamlessly. For instance, in the event you use a pill as a second display to your laptop computer, the chip ought to be capable to detect in the event you transfer it to the opposite aspect and alter your orientation accordingly.
Qualcomm’s instance video additionally has a telephone offering location detection for a pair of earbuds, with the display displaying what number of ft away the consumer is earlier than she finds them. It additionally reveals a automotive routinely unlocking when a person’s telephone is inside shut vary.
Audio is one other key focus for Qualcomm FastConnect 7900, which helps the brand new Qualcomm XPAN and Snapdragon Sound Know-how Suite. These mix to supposedly ship high-bitrate music streaming over Wi-Fi (now 192kHz) with out consuming numerous energy. The chip additionally offers two simultaneous high-band connections, delivering high-resolution lossless audio to wi-fi earbuds.
On the launch, Javier del Prado, Qualcomm’s Vice President and Common Supervisor for Cellular Connectivity, stated: “Constructing on the legacy of our first-gen Wi-Fi 7 providing present in tens of millions of gadgets at this time, FastConnect 7900 creates a brand new method to join.
“The system brings next-level capabilities throughout AI, proximity, and multi-device experiences into the gadgets we love most.”
Units that presently assist Qualcomm FastConnect embody the Xiaomi 14 vary, Bose QuietComfort Extremely Earbuds and Headphones, and the Asus Zenfone 10.
The FastConnect 7900 isn’t the one product Qualcomm is revealing at MWC. Like a lot of the tech world, the corporate goes huge on AI – showcasing the primary giant multimodal mode (LMM) on a smartphone, and on-device generative AI that doesn’t require entry to the cloud.
We’ll be on the bottom on the present and can carry extra information once we go hands-on with this futuristic know-how.