Google will faucet Samsung to produce the 5G modem for its subsequent flagship Pixel good cellphone, sources conversant in the matter instructed Reuters, signaling the primary win for the Korean agency in a US market dominated by Qualcomm Inc.
Earlier this month, Google disclosed that it has designed its personal processor chip to energy its new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Professional high-end telephones, ending its full reliance on Qualcomm, which is able to nonetheless provide chips for the lower-priced Pixel 5A.
Nikkei Asia earlier reported Samsung will manufacture the processor for Google, a unit of Alphabet. Two sources conversant in the matter instructed Reuters Samsung may also provide the 5G modem expertise.
Samsung’s transfer to offer Pixel’s modem expertise is essential as a result of the Korean agency is one in every of solely three firms on the earth able to making 5G modems that join gadgets to wi-fi information networks. The others are Qualcomm, the market chief by a large margin, and Taiwan’s MediaTek.
Samsung broadly makes use of its Exynos modem expertise in its personal flagship smartphones in Asia and Europe. But it surely has lengthy relied on Qualcomm to offer modems for US variations.
That’s partly as a result of Qualcomm has a expertise lead in a variant of 5G networking referred to as millimetre wave, which gives the quickest speeds obtainable with the brand new networks. Thus far, all good telephones launched in america – together with Apple’s iPhone – have used Qualcomm chips to faucet millimetre wave networks.
Samsung instructed Reuters its new modem expertise was able to millimetre wave networking, and Google stated its new telephones will assist millimeter wave networks as earlier variations did, although neither firm would remark immediately on whether or not they’re working collectively on the brand new Pixel.
Profitable Google’s Pixel enterprise offers Samsung its first large likelihood to indicate off its chipmaking abilities to the broader cellphone business, which has lengthy been cautious of shopping for a key element from a fierce rival, stated Kevin Krewell, principal analyst at TIRIAS Analysis. The Korean agency has by no means earlier than bought its 5G modem chip expertise to an out of doors firm.
Qualcomm in an announcement stated it retained its expertise lead as a result of its millimetre wave expertise relied on different chips along with the modem. “A modem isn’t sufficient to assist millimetre wave in telephones,” Qualcomm stated.
© Thomson Reuters 2021
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