Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ and W5 Platforms for next-gen wearables announced


Qualcomm just unveiled the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 and Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 premium wearable platforms designed to advance ultra-low power and breakthrough performance for next generation connected wearables with a focus on extended battery life, premium user experiences, and
sleek, innovative designs.

The Snapdragon W5+ platform promise 50% lower power, 2X higher
performance, 2X richer features, and 30% smaller size, compared to the previous generation. It is based on the hybrid architecture, that has a 4nm-based system-on-chip and 22nm-based highly integrated always-on coprocessor.

The Snapdragon W5+ has 4 x Arm Cortex-A53 cores and Cortex-M55 core for AI/ML tasks. It has 1GHz Adreno 702 GPU clocked at 1GHz. The W5 should have the same specs, but it comes without the co-processor.

These have ultra-low power Bluetooth 5.3 architecture, low power islands for Wi-Fi, GNSS, and Audio, and low power states such as Deep Sleep and Hibernate, It adds 3D watch faces, 3D maps and navigation, real-time image recognition, 2-way smart calling, smart device controls, and lots more features. The co-processor offers keyword detection, low power notifications, improved always-on display functionality and more ultra-low power ambient experiences.

Availability

Qualcomm has also announced two reference designs from Compal and Pegatron, helping OEMs to develop products faster.  OPPO Watch 3 series that will launch in August will be the first watch to use the Snapdragon W5 Wearable Platform. Mobvoi will use the Snapdragon W5+ Wearable Platform in upcoming TicWatch smartwatches launching this Fall.


Author: Srivatsan Sridhar

Srivatsan Sridhar is a Mobile Technology Enthusiast who is passionate about Mobile phones and Mobile apps. He uses the phones he reviews as his main phone. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram