Typically, every December Qualcomm holds its Snapdragon Technology Summit in Maui, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it's going to be a virtual event this year. The company sent out invitations to the digital event, which will be held on December 1-2. It's usually a three-day event, but presumably, it's being shortened due to the different format.
The obvious thing that the firm is likely to announce is the Snapdragon 875, its next flagship chipset for smartphones. The Snapdragon 8 series chip has been a staple for the event since it started. Last year, it also introduced some Snapdragon 7 series chipsets, although it's possible that that was only because it was boasting that it was bringing 5G to a lower tier.
And yes, 5G has been a big focus for a few years now. Along with boosted performance, one thing you can expect to see added to the Snapdragon 875 is the integrated 5G modem. Qualcomm President Cristiano Amon teased as much at last years Tech Summit. When he was asked about the lack of an integrated 5G modem in the Snapdragon 865, he mentioned that we should all come back next year to see that.
As for what else we might see, that's anyone's guess, especially given the shortened time of the event. Typically, day one focuses on 5G innovations, Qualcomm's overall vision and strategy, and an overview of what's to come at the rest of the conference. Day two is the deep dive on the new smartphone chipsets, and day three is for whatever else the company wants to show off. Last year, day three was about mainstream PC chipsets and a new Snapdragon XR2 chipset. The year before, day three was all about Windows on ARM, with the new Snapdragon 8cx.
Of course, a Snapdragon 8cx refresh was announced only about a month ago. The Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 5G is a fairly minor refresh, and there could be a more significant refresh on the way, but Qualcomm is trying to reduce the time between when it announces a PC chipset and when it arrives in new products. Another thing that was just recently refreshed is Snapdragon Wear, with the 4100 being announced in June.
Either way, we'll find out in December. Expect at the least to hear about 5G news and the Snapdragon 875.
