Qualcomm today announced the Snapdragon X20 LTE modem, which it says is the first Category 18 modem capable of download speeds up to 1.2Gbps.
The X20 is manufactured using a 10nm FinFET process. It supports up to 5×20 MHz carrier aggregation, 4×4 MIMO, and up to three aggregated LTE carriers.
The X20 LTE modem uses a new RF transceiver that Qualcomm claims is capable of receiving up to 12 spatial streams of LTE data.Each downlink supports 256QAM, while uplinks support 64QAM. Other features include all major carrier technologies, more than 40 LTE frequency bands, LTE Broadcast, and VoLTE with support for Ultra HD Voice.
Last, the Snapdragon X20 LTE modem supports Dual SIM Dual VoLTE for advanced use cases. Qualcomm believes the X20 will be ideal for Gigabit LTE networks, which are expected to bridge the gap between today’s 4G networks and what will eventually become 5G networks.
Qualcomm says the X20 is already sampling, but it won’t ship on consumer products until the first half of 2018.
