Qualcomm today unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile platform, which features a next-generation custom Qualcomm-designed Oryon CPU instead of the semi-custom Kryo Arm-based chips from prior SoCs. According to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8 Elite features the "world's fastest mobile CPU," outperforming even the A18 Pro chip in the iPhone 16 Pro series. The Oryon CPU is built on a 3-nanometer process, much like Apple's most recent chips. It has eight cores in total, including two prime cores and six performance cores, and it is able to reach peak CPU speeds of 4.32 GHz. Qualcomm also claims that it has the "industry's largest shared cache" to enable "insanely fast data retrieval." There's also a new "Adreno" GPU, and Qualcomm says it…

Qualcomm stock was downgraded Tuesday by a KeyBanc analyst over concerns that Apple will create its own modem. Analyst John Vinh downgraded shares of Qualcomm to Sector Weight from Overweight without a price target on Tuesday. Angela Palumbo for Barron’s: ‎ One of the main reasons Vinh recommends investors stay on the sidelines is because of Apple. Qualcomm currently builds the modem chips that the iPhone maker uses in its smartphones. In September 2023, Qualcomm announced that it entered into an agreement with Apple to supply its modem systems for smartphone launches in 2024, 2025, and 2026. However, there have been reports that Apple is looking to create its own modem. “Our supply chain work has confirmed that Apple will…

Analysts have expressed concerns about Qualcomm’s potential acquisition of Intel. While such a deal could diversify Qualcomm’s business, it would also involve taking on Intel’s loss-making semiconductor manufacturing unit. Turning around or selling this unit could prove to be a significant challenge. Furthermore, the proposed merger would face intense antitrust scrutiny worldwide. As the largest deal in the semiconductor industry, it would combine two major players in the smartphone, personal computer, and server markets, potentially creating a market-dominating behemoth. Aditya Soni and Yuvraj Malik for Reuters: ‎ Shares of Inte rose nearly 3% on Monday, after media reports late on Friday about Qualcomm’s early-stage approach for the struggling chipmaker. Qualcomm’s shares were down 1.8%. “The rumored deal between Qualcomm and…

iPhone 16 Pro offers significantly faster 5G speeds vs. iPhone 15 Pro Apple’s new iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro contain Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon X75 modem which delivers several notable improvements, including 5G Advanced support, lower power consumption, and enhanced 5G carrier aggregation for faster upload speeds. These upgrades should offer a noticeable boost in mobile connectivity for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. SpeedSmart: ‎ By comparing speed test data from the iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max with last year’s iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, we’ve observed an impressive average increase of 23.7% in download speeds across all three major US networks. Verizon stands out with a 26.4% improvement in average 5G download speeds.…

Apple is rumored to have been working on its own 5G modem for iPhones since 2018, and it appears the chip will finally debut next year. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today estimated that shipments of Apple's in-house 5G chip will reach 35-40 million units in 2025, and "grow rapidly" to 90-110 million units in 2026 and 160-180 million units in 2027. Kuo previously said two iPhone models with an Apple-designed 5G modem will be released in 2025, including a fourth-generation iPhone SE in the first quarter of the year and an all-new, ultra-thin iPhone 17 model in the third quarter. All existing iPhones that are currently sold by Apple are equipped with Qualcomm modems for cellular connectivity, but…

Microsoft and its partners launched Copilot+ PCs this spring, featuring AI-powered capabilities like generating images and videos. These new laptops deviate from the traditional Intel-powered architecture that has dominated Microsoft Windows PCs for nearly four decades. Instead, the initial Copilot+ models are powered by Qualcomm chips based on Arm designs. While most PC games, especially popular multiplayer titles, are optimized for Intel’s x86 chips, some can be run on the Qualcomm-Arm system through a software layer that translates x86 instructions into Arm-compatible code. However, this approach can introduce compatibility issues, leading to bugs, glitches, or even non-functional games. Yang Jie for The Wall Street Journal: ‎ The problem is widespread. About 1,300 PC games have been independently tested to see…