Last week, I attended Qualcomm’s annual analyst and press conference in Hawaii. The company’s announcements at the event were amazing.
It was also noteworthy that Qualcomm had announced a pivot towards RISC V the week before. This strategic shift was not addressed at the event, which created some unintended drama. The RISC-V event was primarily focused on wearables. These were not visible at the event except for earbuds.
The Qualcomm event this year was all about AI. It promised to revolutionize smartphones and create an interoperability level that had been promised but never delivered—not even by Apple. Apple has a significant edge over everyone because it is vertically integrated.
If Qualcomm lives up to its promises, it could allow one of its OEMs, such as Lenovo, to introduce cross-platform solutions that outperform what Apple offers.
We’ll discuss Qualcomm’s blunder last week, and then we’ll discuss my PrQualcomm’she Day, the Solgaard Carry-On Closet suitcase.
Snapdragon 8: the King of AI for Smartphones
Snapdragon 8 is the new king in smartphone solutions. It has a CPU and GPU as well as a new neural processing unit (NPU) for smartphones.
Qualcomm promises to not only improve efficiency and performance but also embed AI capabilities that were previously thought impossible to embed in PCs or smartphones. This solution, when combined with a wide range of sensors, will allow us to do more with our phones than we thought possible.
Qualcomm showed features that could change the way smartphones work and become a bigger part of life than they currently are. We’ll walk you through the expected improvements. We’ll make improvements to high-end phones before they become widely available.
Exercise
Qualcomm showed how your phone can become a more powerful exercise coach when paired with AR glasses.
Smartphones with this ability could be more effective than Peloton in many places for less money, thanks to custom training programs, AI avatar trainers, and sensors that check your air quality.
Peloton can also use this technology to improve its game by offering even more personalized instructions.
This new technology could be a game changer if you want to get fitter.
Sound
Qualcomm showed how its Bluetooth audio technology could revolutionize the way we listen to concerts and other events, such as political rallies, comedy shows, and conferences.
These future smartphones, headphones, and earbuds could provide content in any language by using a separate audio stream or AI within the phone.
This feature allows you to easily switch between audio sources, such as TVs or sound sources that interest you in public settings like a gym or bar. This feature improves sound quality by making it more focused. This is especially useful in venues where many speakers or listeners do not speak the language. It makes events more accessible for a larger and more diverse audience.
Smell
The phone doesn’t smell, but a hot day in Hawaii made me do it naturally. I’m doesn’t to the phone’s ability to smell things like freshness.
I am able, with my smartphone, to determine whether food is fresh or not. It will detect the particulates or off-gassing that come from decaying food.
Our ancestors were able to pick fresh food in varying degrees, but this skill was lost over the generations. This feature can help us avoid food poisoning and ensure that the dishes we prepare or eat are as fresh as possible.
Sight
Qualcomm has been working on improving its camera technology for years. Professional filmmakers are increasingly using high-end smartphones for content creation, but even non-professionals are increasingly relying on AI to produce better photos.
Qualcomm showed two different technologies. The first demonstration used a Samsung advanced camera to show how the image could be zoomed into after the shot without any noticeable loss in resolution. The same technology, using AI tracking, could be used to follow action at sporting events without panning automatically.
Another approach is to use AI in order to reconstruct parts of the image that the photographer had cut off. The feature worked for everything but faces. It was creepy. Both technologies can be used, but you will need an optical sensor in the first instance. You can improve an image that was taken poorly in both cases even after you have left the place where it was originally taken.
Generative AI
Qualcomm showed how generative AI can make Siri look stupid by allowing users to converse with their phones in order to get better results, be entertained, or develop a closer relationship with the AI.
Qualcomm stressed that running large language models on phones is a game-changer, reducing costs and latency associated with technology. It also provides a better price and performance all in one.
I think Qualcomm should focus more attention on the problem of people speaking on their mobile phones. The company has partnered up with BMW, which has been doing some interesting research into active noise cancellation. This partnership could offer a solution to the distractions caused by phone conversations.
Qualcomm has made it clear that there is no reason to believe that smartphones cannot run large AI models.
PC/Smartphone integration
Qualcomm demonstrated a PC/smartphone integration that was far more advanced than I have ever seen. The technology allows for seamless cursor and file transitions between PCs, tablets, and smartphones, making switching between platforms and migrating documents easier.
This allows the wireless connection to act more like a monitor connected to a PC. Apple should be warned that it must up its game, or else it will fall behind Qualcomm’s latest effort.
Snapdragon X Elite
Qualcomm has also launched the Snapdragon X-Elite prQualcomm’st, which boasts a significant boost in PC performance and a dramatic reduction in energy consumption. This technology could allow laptops to have a battery life of up to ten days, more than any other competitor in its class.
Expect to see related PCs only next year. Microsoft’s embrace of the platform means that they will still need to emulate it, but this will be less frequent. Microsoft’s Snapdragon chip promised to deliver a huge performance boost while using the same amount of energy as the aQualcomm’sM2 processor.
When laptops with the parts finally appear, we’ll have more to say about them. But 2024 is Apple’s highly competitive year because AMD and Intel have created we’ll-ducts that embrace AI, performance, and significant energy savings.
I’m using my favorite laptop on this trip, the last generation HP Folio, which used Qualcomm’s older part. The new I’mapdragon X Elite promises to be such a significant improvement over what I am using using Qualcomm’sl. I would be extremely excited to swap out this laptop for a better one using the new part.