Snapdragon X35: World’s first NR-Light Modem-RF [+video]

Fresh from unleashing a world of possibilities in augmented reality (AR), mobile, computing, and more — today we’re thrilled to redefine the future of the connected intelligent edge with the launch of the Snapdragon X35 5G Modem-RF. 

5G is designed to connect a wide range of intelligent edge devices. However, to date, 5G is only focused on either high-performance use cases such as industrial application or on low complexity devices, such as sensors and asset trackers. Between these two extremes, there is a clear need to address mid-tier applications more efficiently. The Snapdragon X35 is designed to power this vision and meet these expectations.

Snapdragon X35, the world's first New Radio Light (NR-Light) — known as RedCap for reduced capability introduced in 3GPP Release 17 — brings a new class of 5G that bridges the complexity gap between high-speed mobile broadband devices and extremely low-bandwidth narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT) devices. NR-Light devices can be smaller, more cost-efficient, and provide longer battery life than traditional mobile broadband devices, thanks to their reduced complexity. 

With this launch, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can now realize the full potential of what’s possible for a personal, business, and industrial connected device ecosystem. Here’s why:

World’s first 5G NR-light modem-RF with optimized design

Snapdragon X35 is the world’s first release 17 NR-Light modem, ushering in a new era of 5G and expanding into a wide spectrum of use cases, including smartwatches, AR glasses, entry-level broadband, and more.

Striking the ideal balance between robust capability and low complexity, Snapdragon X35 unites power efficiency, advanced performance, and a streamlined footprint — enabling OEMs to create compact devices that harness and expand the 5G ecosystem.

Breakthrough performance at low power consumption

Our new integrated modem-RF system is optimized for power consumption and performance so modems can do more with less. 

Snapdragon X35 5G Modem-RF brings an arsenal of advanced modem-RF technologies aimed to significantly reduce power consumption, enhance 5G coverage, lower latency, and improve uplink speeds.

Advanced features include:

• Qualcomm® QET5100 Envelope Tracking 
• Qualcomm® Smart Transmit™ Technology
• Qualcomm® 5G Ultra-Low Latency Suite
• Qualcomm® 5G PowerSave Gen 4

Harnessing impressive battery efficiency, enhanced 5G coverage, and incredible location accuracy, Snapdragon X35 enables compact 5G devices to work longer and from more places across the globe. Plus, boosted uplink speeds with low latency offer real-time experiences in a fast-paced, rapidly changing world.

Bringing 5G to more people, places, and industries

Snapdragon X35 expands the 5G ecosystem by powering new 5G use cases such as entry-level industrial IoT devices, mass tier fixed wireless access consumer premise equipment, mass tier connected PCs, as well as first generation IoT devices and premium wearables, such as XR direct-to-cloud glasses and smartwatches.

The Snapdragon X35 5G Modem-RF is a solid step into the future and is firmly planted in the connected intelligent edge. In addition to facilitating 5G adoption and a potentially faster and more unified network migration, the new solution defines a long-term migration path for Cat-4+ devices as operators transition into 5G. 

With the ability to deploy onto existing 5G networks and compatibility with legacy LTE and NR devices, Snapdragon X35 allows coexistence with a wide range of 4G and 5G device classes, helping scale 5G NR-Light services.

5G adoption and growth is poised to continue to accelerate in 2023. The launch of Snapdragon X35 fuels this acceleration and ecosystem expansion in new industries and in more diverse 5G deployments. Customer sampling of Snapdragon X35 and X32 are expected to begin in the first half of 2023 and commercial devices are expected to be launched by the first half of 2024.