MediaTek’s Dimensity 700 5G smartphone chipset is a system on chip (SoC) designed to bring advanced 5G capabilities and experiences to the mass market.
The Dimensity 700 joins MediaTek’s Dimensity family of 5G chips, which is designed to give device makers a suite of options for 5G smartphone models. The chips range from flagship and premium to mid-range and mass market devices to make 5G more accessible for consumers everywhere.
GNSS signals received include GPS L1CA and L5, BeiDou B1I and B2, GLONASS L1OF, Galileo E1 and E5, QZSS L1C and L5, and NavIC.
“With our expanded Dimensity portfolio, we’re bringing the latest 5G capabilities to every smartphone tier so more people can enjoy 5G experiences,” said JC Hsu, corporate vice president and general manager of MediaTek’s Wireless Communications business unit. “The Dimensity 700 has an impressive mix of 5G connectivity features, advanced camera capabilities like night-shot enhancements, and multiple voice assistant support, all in a super power-efficient design.”
Advanced connectivity features include 5G carrier aggregation (2CC 5G-CA) and 5G dual-SIM dual-standby (DSDS), giving users access to the fastest speeds and 5G-exclusive Voice over New Radio (VoNR) services from either connection, the company said.
On the processing power side, the chip integrates two Arm Cortex-A76 big cores in its octa-core CPU and operates at up to 2.2GHz.
MediaTek’s Dimensity 5G family of chips are designed for 5G devices across all tiers, and with the Dimensity 700 5G devices will now be accessible to even more consumers.
For full specifications and further details on MediaTek’s Dimensity 700 series and 5G portfolio are on the MediaTek website.
New modules enable entertainment, advanced connectivity features and next-generation artificial intelligence
Qualcomm Technologies has launched three new mobile platforms — the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G, 662 and 460 — to enable enhanced user experiences across connectivity, gaming and entertainment.
The new mobile platforms support dual-frequency (L1 and L5) GNSS to improve location positioning accuracy and robustness. The system-on-chip solutions also support the Indian NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation).
Seven constellations. For the first time supported on mobile, the Qualcomm Location Suite now supports up to seven satellite constellations concurrently, including the use of all of NavIC’s operating satellites for more accurate location performance, faster time-to-first-fix (TTFF) position acquisition, and improved robustness of location-based services.
“ISRO is satisfied with the efforts of Qualcomm Technologies Inc. towards incorporating NavIC and we urge OEMs to leverage it for future handset launches in India,” said K. Sivan, chairman, ISRO. “The availability of NavIC across multiple mobile platforms will help enhance the geolocation capabilities of smartphones in the region and bring the benefits of this indigenous solution to Indian consumers for their day-to-day use.”
The new modules also enable fast 4G connectivity speeds, deliver key Wi-Fi 6 features and integrated Bluetooth 5.1 with advanced audio via the Qualcomm FastConnect 6-series subsystems.
Artificial Intelligence. Designed to deliver new and improved AI user experiences across photography, voice assistants and virtually always-on scenarios for increased contextual awareness, the new platforms also feature the Qualcomm AI Engine and Qualcomm Sensing Hub.
“While we see a fast adoption of 5G across geographies globally, we do recognize the phenomenal boost that 4G has given towards enabling broadband connectivity for Indian consumers. 4G will continue to remain a focus area for Qualcomm Technologies for regions like India, where it will stay a key technology for connectivity,” said Rajen Vagadia, vice president and president, Qualcomm India Pvt. Ltd. “Our goal is to enable our partners to continue creating solutions that offer seamless connectivity access and exceptional mobile experiences, that consumers can count on.”
“Today’s smartphone users want fast, seamless connectivity, advanced features and long-lasting battery life,” said Kedar Kondap, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “This expansion of our 4G lineup enables our partners to offer sophisticated solutions that meet global demand and enable a remarkable gaming experience across multiple tiers and price segments.”
Photo: Qualcomm
Snapdragon 720G
Snapdragon 720G reimagines extraordinary gaming and entertainment experiences with select Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gaming features, striking capture capabilities, and intelligent performance. Leveraging select Snapdragon Elite Gaming features from premium-tier mobile platforms, Snapdragon 720G delivers smooth HDR game play, dynamic color range and contrast, realistic and immersive in-game environments, and high-quality, synchronized sound with Qualcomm aptX Adaptive.
In addition to gaming, users will have a “home theater in their pocket” with HDR viewing and super-smooth video streaming with the Qualcomm Spectra 350L ISP, Qualcomm said. They can also capture 4K video or snap massive 192-megapixel photos.
Snapdragon 720G also features the latest fifth-generation Qualcomm AI Engine with the improved Qualcomm Hexagon Tensor Accelerator that will enable a host of new AI experiences for gaming, photography, voice assistants and virtually always-on contextual awareness.
The integrated Snapdragon X15 LTE modem supports 3-carrier aggregation, 4×4 MIMO on two carriers and 256-QAM modulation for fast download speeds up to 800 Mbps — allowing for quick app downloads and smooth video streaming and sharing.
In addition, Snapdragon 720G, with the FastConnect 6200 subsystem, virtually doubles Wi-Fi speed and range for online gaming and web browsing, compared to single antenna devices, while also delivering key Wi-Fi 6 features such as 8×8 sounding with multi-user MIMO for up to 2x improvement over competitive Wi-Fi 6 devices, Target Wake Time for up to 67% better power efficiency and the complete WPA3 security suite, as well as integrated Bluetooth 5.1 with advanced audio capabilities.
Finally, users will experience power savings and improved performance due to the Snapdragon 720G’s 8-nm process technology and upgraded CPU architecture.
Snapdragon 662
Snapdragon 662 brings astonishing camera and AI capabilities to the 6-series for the first time. It will feature the new Qualcomm Spectra 340T, which supports triple camera configurations and smooth switching between them — a first in the 6-series. A more robust ISP will enable support for photo capture in the HEIF file format for stunning image quality at half the file size.
The addition of the third-generation Qualcomm AI Engine with Hexagon Vector Extensions and the Qualcomm Spectra 340T will enable AI-based user experiences such as avatars, night photography, and face and voice authentication.
Snapdragon 662 also features the new Snapdragon X11 LTE modem with peak download speeds up to 390 Mbps thanks to 2-carrier aggregation, 2×2 MIMO and 256-QAM modulation, along with 150 Mbps peak uploads to support a snappy web browsing and social media experience.
Snapdragon 460
Snapdragon 460 boasts a gigantic leap in performance across the board in the 4-series, as well as significant boosts in connectivity, AI and camera improvements[1] for the next-generation of mass market smartphones. For the first time in the 4-series, Snapdragon 460 features performance CPU cores and an updated GPU architecture that translates into up to 70% and 60% increase in performance, respectively.
Overall system performance, meanwhile, delivers a 2x increase compared the previous generation. The Hexagon processor with Qualcomm Hexagon Vector eXtensions (HVX) is also introduced into the 4-series for the first time, thereby equipping it with a 3rd generation Qualcomm AI Engine and the Qualcomm Sensing Hub for new AI experiences for photography and voice assistance.
The Qualcomm Spectra 340 ISP is also among the many new additions to the 4-series, enabling the platform to capture stunning photographs and support for triple cameras. An integrated Snapdragon X11 LTE modem allows for download speeds up to 390 Mbps and uploads up to 150 Mbps.
To date, more than 85 commercial devices based on Snapdragon 7-series mobile platforms, more than 1600 commercial devices based on Snapdragon 6-series mobile platforms, and more than 2,500 commercial devices based on Snapdragon 4-series mobile platforms have been announced by global OEMs. Together, the 7-, 6- and 4-series amount to over 4,000 designs — an impressive feat for these segments.
Devices based on Snapdragon 720G are expected to be commercially available in Q1 2020 and devices based on Snapdragon 662 and 460 are expected to be commercially available by the end of 2020. For more information, please visit the product details pages for the Snapdragon 720G Mobile Platform, Snapdragon 662 Mobile Platform, and Snapdragon 460 Mobile Platform.
CEVA Inc. and Nurlink have introduced Nurlink’s NK6010 3GPP Rel.14 eNB-IoT system-on-chip (SoC), powered by the CEVA-Dragonfly NB2 IP solution.
The companies made the announcement in advance of Mobile World Congress, which takes place Feb. 25-28 in Barcelona, Spain.
According to the companies, NK6010 is a cost- and power-efficient NB-IoT system on chip (SoC) designed specifically to enable narrowband connectivity in massive internet of things (IoT) devices such as smart meters, wearables, asset trackers and industrial sensors.
The SoC, built around the CEVA-Dragonfly NB2 solution, incorporates an RF front-end, RF transceiver, cellular baseband, power management unit and application processor, all highly integrated to minimize the size and cost of the device.
The SoC includes an extremely low-power multi-GNSS subsystem, supporting GPS/Beidou/Galileo/GLONASS global navigation systems, to ensure highly-accurate device tracking and locating, worldwide, the companies said.
It also supports all NB-IoT frequency bands and major global carriers, ensuring smooth and rapid certification of devices on any NB-IoT commercial network around the world.
The CEVA-Dragonfly NB2 IP solution is a modular technology, composed of the CEVA-X1 IoT processor, an optimized RF transceiver, baseband, and a protocol stack to offer a complete Release 14 Cat-NB2 modem IP solution that significantly reduces time-to-market and lowers entry barriers.
It is a fully software-configurable solution and can be extended with multi-constellation GNSS and sensor fusion functionality. The IP includes a reference silicon of the complete modem design, including an embedded CMOS RF transceiver and PA, an advanced digital front-end, physical layer firmware and a protocol stack (MAC, RLC, PDCP, RRC, and NAS).
“We developed NK6010 to meet the exceptional demand for NB-IoT chipsets to power the multitude of new use cases and applications that narrowband cellular connectivity serves,” said Xiaohua Kong, Nurlink CEO. “The CEVA-Dragonfly NB2 enabled us to massively accelerate our time-to-market by providing many of the key building blocks for our SoC design, already silicon proven and pre-integrated.
“In addition, through the programmable nature of the Dragonfly solution, our engineering team were able to add our innovation during the communication system development and SoC customization,” Kong said. “This framework eventually helped us to create a truly differentiated product. Our path from licensing to silicon was achieved in under one year, and we’re now engaged with operators worldwide to certify our SoC.”
“NB-IoT has reached critical mass, with more than 60 operators around the world already supporting the standard and dozens more launching coverage imminently,” said Michael Boukaya, vice president and general manager of the wireless business unit at CEVA. “Now the drive towards ultra-low cost NB-IoT chipsets and modules has begun and Nurlink, powered by our CEVA-Dragonfly NB2 IP solution, is one of the early entrants into this fast growing space. We applaud their efforts to reach the market so quickly and look forward to monitoring their success.”
Renesas Electronics, an automotive semiconductor supplier, is offering an advanced driving assistance system (ADAS) and automated driving platform: Renesas autonomy.
As the first rollout under the new platform, Renesas released the R-Car V3M high-performance image recognition system-on-chip (SoC), optimized primarily for use in smart camera applications, as well as surround view systems or even lidars.
The R-Car V3M SoC complies with the ISO26262 functional safety standard, delivers low-power hardware acceleration for vision processing and is equipped with a built-in image signal processor, freeing up board space and reducing system manufacturers’ costs.
The R-Car V3M SoC for smart camera applications is on the Renesas autonomy platform.
Autonomous vehicles will be required to sense the environment, control the vehicle and conduct synchronized communications with the cloud. A wide range of technologies is necessary to realize these functions, and each technology needs to maintain high reliability to synchronize without any flaw.
At the same time, these technologies are continuously advancing, which is why there is a growing demand for a total end-to-end solution.
Renesas autonomy delivers a comprehensive portfolio that includes scalable hardware, software and IP building blocks. It consists of Renesas’ sustainable and scalable SoC and micro-controller (MCU) roadmaps.
The platform also gives system manufacturers access to Renesas’ 195 technology partners in its ADAS R-Car Consortium, improving development efficiency and speeding time to market.
For the implementation of demanding algorithms, the Renesas autonomy platform provides system manufacturers the option to select the most suitable IP cores, including hardware accelerators, offering functional safety and flexibility within an architecture capable of the highest performance at the lowest power consumption.
Telit has launched BlueMod+S42M, a Bluetooth low-energy (BLE) 4.2, standalone, single-mode module with embedded 3-axis accelerometer, temperature and humidity sensors.
The cost-effective component is optimized for efficiency and simplicity in end-device design and manufacturing, delivering reliable BLE functionality with robust endpoint security, motion and environmental sensors and essential features that reduce development costs, bill of materials, and time to market.
Designed for large-scale projects, the BlueMod+S42M expedites device design across a wide range of industrial and consumer applications areas, the company said. The embedded sensors are for high-value, fragile asset tracking, and time- or temperature-sensitive applications such as cold chain monitoring in the pharmaceutical and agriculture industries.
The release of the certified BlueMod+S42M complements the Telit portfolio of Bluetooth and BLE modules and directly addresses the demand in the rapidly growing BLE-dependent market. A report released by IndustryARC Analysis, forecasts Bluetooth Low Energy enabled devices shipments to increase to 8.4 billion units by 2020 at a CAGR of 29 percent.
“Cost, power, and reliability are critical to the success of IoT applications that demand efficient BLE solutions,” said Ronen Ben-Hamou, Telit EVP of products and solutions. “Our new qualified Bluetooth module caters to designers of all levels with tight development, materials and manufacturing cost constraints and even tighter timelines. The beauty of the +S42M is it’s simplicity: single-chip SoC (system on chip), feature packed, sensibly priced, exceptional power savings and extensive interoperability.”
Full applications can be embedded in the BlueMod+S42M, which is a self-contained SoC requiring no additional external supporting components. It is equipped with an on-board micro controller, integrated chip antenna, passive components, T°/Humidity sensor, and an accelerometer.
Leveraging a rich subset of features from Telit’s diverse family of BlueMod+Sx modules, including a GATT interface and terminal I/O profile combination, the new BlueMod+S42M greatly simplifies and accelerates the development of applications, Telit said.
In addition to efficient performance and low power consumption, BlueMod+S42M includes value-added features that further streamline development:
Bluetooth v4.2 Qualified Module
RED, SRCC Certified
Generic GATT Client and Server
LE Secure Connections
Configurable DIS (Device Information Service)
LE Data Length Extension
Terminal I/O for Easy Transparent Data Transfer (BLE- SPP like)
Embedded Sensors
Over-the-Air Updates
Sample Code for iOS and Android
WeChat Air Sync Protocol
Designers using the BlueMod+S42M have access to comprehensive development and integration tools including evaluation and development kits.
Visit Telit at the Sensors Expo in San Jose, California, June 27-29, booth 1244.
