Qualcommโ€™s new modem-RF system is the first of its kind to use AI to maximize 5G coverage and speed. | Image: Qualcomm

Qualcomm is using Mobile World Congress to show off some new technology that should improve 5G connectivity and wireless audio. These new capabilities โ€” and the chips that make them possible โ€” are likely to land in the next generation of earbuds and high-end Android phones starting in the second half of this year.

The Snapdragon X70 5G modem-RF system attempts to improve your phoneโ€™s 5G connection with the help of an AI processor. This helps it maximize 5G signal for better coverage โ€” particularly important for mmWave signals which are short-range compared to the broader coverage of low and mid-band frequencies. Qualcomm says this improvement is limited to situations like stadiums and city blocks, and that it doesnโ€™t address one of mmWaveโ€™s key weaknesses: the signalโ€™s inability to travel from outdoors to indoors. But where thereโ€™s no mmWave signal, the new AI processor should boost sub-6GHz coverage and speeds, too.

The new audio features, wrapped up in a platform called Snapdragon Sound, include a feature teased last year: wireless earbud support for 16-bit โ€œCD-qualityโ€ lossless audio over Bluetooth. Thereโ€™s also a gaming mode with 68ms latency โ€” 25 percent lower than Qualcommโ€™s current technology. Another addition is the ability to record in stereo through a pair of earbuds. The companyโ€™s latest adaptive active noise cancellation technology is also included.

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