Android smartphone owners could find their devices looking a little sluggish later this week. That’s because US technology firm, Qualcomm, is hosting its yearly tech summit on the island of Hawaii where it will almost certainly show off its latest and greatest Snapdragon processor.
Although the US firm is currently staying tight-lipped about what could be announced during its week-long keynotes it has been widely reported that a new Snapdragon 865 will be shown to the world.
This would clearly replace the current flagship Snapdragon 855 which can be found in most of this year’s top-end devices.
If history repeats itself then we can expect these new brains to drive almost every new premium Android smartphone in 2020.
Every year, Qualcomm’s processors get more and more powerful and the 865 could bring improved performance to the next smartphone that lands in your pocket.
And that’s not all.
As noted by Android Authority, some versions of the new 865 could also feature an integrated 5G modem which would make it much easier for manufacturers to pack this latest network technology inside their new phones.
5G is rolling out across large parts of the UK with it offering download speeds that far exceed what is capable on current 4G.
In fact, 5G is already able to push files to your phone at over 300Mbps – at that speed, you’d download a full HD movie in around three minutes.
Chinese firm Huawei has already announced a combined chip and modem with the launch if its Kirin 990 5G and it seems unlikely that Qualcomm will want to be left behind.
Huawei is boasting that its new Kirin processor offers a smooth transition of the evolving 5G network. Being compatible with different bands and frequencies, this single chipset allows you to connect with 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G networks.
It’s unclear if the Snapdragon 865 will bring similar features to non-Huawei devices next year.
We’ll find out full details during this week’s event and also expect a few surprises along the way.
Some smartphone makers may also reveal their plans for this new processor and we could get a few hints about what is come from them in 2020.
With Apple now leading the way with its latest A13 Bionic brains, Android fans will want something just as powerful in their pockets and hopefully, there’s not too long until this becomes a reality.
Qualcomm’s event kicks off in Maui from Tuesday with the tech firm revealing that it will live stream the event around the globe.
In a post its website, Qualcomm said: “We’re working hard behind the scenes to gear up for Qualcomm Snapdragon Tech Summit 2019, and you can get all the current announcements, news, and updates live here. We’ll livestream the event starting December 3rd at 9 a.m. in Hawaii, 11 a.m. PST, and 2 p.m. EST.”
Express.co.uk is also making the journey to the middle of the Pacific Ocean and will be bringing all of the news live as it happens from this major event.