Qualcomm, which is developing new W5 chips to compete with Apple, says it could power your next smartwatch for 90 hours Samsung.
Dubbed the Snapdragon W5 and W5 Plus, the chips measure just four nanometers, which is a fraction of the 80,000 nanometers in size of a human hair.
The America-based company notes that the secret lies in the chips’ ability to transfer heat efficiently and in a new, lower-power mode.
This feature only “wakes up” features needed to perform tasks and allows the others to go to sleep to save power.
Oppo is expected to be the first smartwatch maker to use the new chip, its device launching in August, followed by Mobvoi’s new TicWatch launching this fall – and these not-so-popular brands versus the smartwatch powerhouses -Area lets compete.
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Qualcomm, which is developing new W5 chips to rival Apple and Samsung, says it could power your next smartwatch for 90 hours. Dubbed the Snapdragon W5 and W5 Plus, the chips measure just four nanometers, which is a fraction of the 80,000 nanometers in size of a human hair
Although the Apple Watch is the most popular, it only offers up to 18 hours of use.
Samsung’s Galaxy watch, on the other hand, has a battery that lasts around 40 hours.
The key factor with Qualcomm’s new chips is their ability to reduce the power that the battery is draining.
It does this by only ‘waking up’ the functions that are being used and allowing the others to ‘rest’. CNET reports.
Oppo is expected to be the first smartwatch maker to use the new chip, with its device launching in August. Pictured are the current Oppo smartwatches on the market
Although the Apple Watch is the most popular, it only offers up to 18 hours of use
For example, if you go for a run or listen to music, only the satellite GPS, Wi-Fi and audio functions will be activated, while everything else will become inactive.
According to Qualcomm, this means 57 percent less power consumption for notifications compared to the last-generation Wear 4100+ chip – the predecessor of its new Snapdragon W5.
Qualcomm’s senior director of head and wearables, Pankaj Kedia, compared this ability to turning on just a few lights at night to get to the kitchen, rather than turning on every light in your house.
“The rest of the SoC is dead, so you get longer battery life,” Kedia said.
And because the chips are 30 percent smaller than what’s currently on the market, smartwatch makers could finally add a camera to their device.
The size reduction also allows companies to design thinner and slimmer watches overall.
And because Qualcomm’s chips are 30 percent smaller than what’s currently on the market, smartwatch makers could finally add a camera to their device
Corresponding TechCodexQualcomm’s chips will also include ECG, motion detection, PPG biosensing (to measure heart rate) and optical recognition.
Apple is unlikely to use Qualcomm’s chips, but rumors of the tech giant’s upcoming Series 8 suggest it will have a five per cent larger display and the ability to track the wearer’s body temperature.
According to prolific Apple tipster Mark Gurman in Los Angeles, the company will add body temperature detection to its Series 8 model, which is expected to be released this fall.
Meanwhile, another leaker, Ross Young in Austin, Texas, claims that the Series 8’s screen size will measure 1.99 inches diagonally.
This would make the Series 8 the largest Apple Watch screen to date, although the largest on the market overall is the Domiwear DM100, which has a whopping 2.86-inch screen.
In comparison, the Apple Watch Series 7 released last year was available with either a 1,691-inch or 1,901-inch screen.
Apple is expected to release a total of three smartwatches this fall, including the Series 8, which is also said to have a flat screen.
