Snapdragon 8 Elite chip integrates UWB hardware by default

The long-awaited Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chip is finally here. The hardware brings massive performance improvements, integrating Oryon cores into smartphone hardware for the first time. What’s more, the Snapdragon 8 Elite is an all-in-one solution that also integrates UWB technology by default. That said, it’s still possible that your smartphone powered by the chip doesn’t support the feature.

All Snapdragon 8 Elite chips support UWB features

Until now, Qualcomm’s FastConnect telecommunications suite built into Snapdragon chips focused on modem, Bluetooth, and WiFi. However, Qualcomm has surprised the industry by integrating UWB hardware into its latest flagship mobile SoC with the latest FastConnect 7900 platform.

If you’re not aware, UWB (ultra-wideband) is a telecommunications protocol that allows short-distance wireless data transmission over a high-bandwidth channel (above 500 MHz). The main goal of the technology is to enable ultra-precise real-time location services with rich capabilities. For example, Galaxy SmartTag trackers use UWB for an AR navigation mode on compatible Galaxy devices.

Compatible products allow for much more precise directions to the tracked object. The technology greatly reduces the margin of tracking error from meters to centimeters. Plus, you can use UWB-supported devices to control cars or smart home products. With that in mind, it’s pretty exciting that many of next year’s flagship smartphones will integrate UWB support.

Manufacturers could still choose to disable it

As we mentioned at the beginning, it’s still possible that your Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered device doesn’t support UWB-powered tracking features. This is up to the Android manufacturer, not Qualcomm. The latter confirmed that Snapdragon chips with the FastConnect 7900 communications platform do not require any additional hardware to support UWB. Qualcomm also told Android Authority that “all features and capabilities are delivered as a single chip solution.”

Why would a device manufacturer choose not to support UWB-powered features? Basically, differentiation. Currently, not all smartphones feature a UWB chip. So, it’s possible that manufacturers will continue that trend, reserving the feature for the more premium variants in their flagship lineups. Regardless, there will always be manufacturers (mostly Chinese) who utilize the full potential of the Snapdragon 8 Elite in all their devices.