Actually 5G (and I mean mmWave 5G, since sub-6GHz 5G is as fast as 4G LTE Category 20) is stronger than WiFi only in the sense that the mobile towers provide a stronger signal, i.e. with many more watts. Watt for watt WiFi is stronger, penetrates walls and floors easily (mmWave 5G cannot, so it is ruled out for in-building connections, where it will have to fall back to sub-6GHz mode) and it has a longer range. That's because it uses a lower frequency. Higher frequencies provide faster speeds, but at the trade-off of all the above. mmWave 5G will also require a much higher density of mobile towers/antennas, due to its longer range, so it will be more costly to telcos and take much longer to be deployed, but even when it is deployed, there should be many "dark spots" remaining. This is why 5G has a <6 GHz and mmWave frequency mode.
IR is much higher frequency and much high wattage. Your skin is bathed in nearly a kilowatt of IR at room temperate. The only danger from microwave radiation that we know of and predict is localized heating. The heat from your cellphones battery is more dangerous than the wifi.
It's the heating that's dangerous, it can damage DNA structure. The reason why people hear clicking and scratching noises when they are exposed to microwave radiation is because the heat is causing parts of their inner ears to expand. The Fire Department has banned the placement of cell towers around fire stations because they found that it was affecting their ability to think. Keep in mind that your brain does not have any pain receptors, only the blood vessels in your brain do, and the fact that people typically keep cell phones pressed against their heads when in use that's a bad combo.
"...while this might come at a disadvantage to eventual 7nm parts from the competition, ..."
I don't know where I exactly got it from, but I read that Qualcomm's SDX50 is supposedly manufactured on 10LPP as well, coming in at a die size of around 95 mm² (don't slap me if I'm wrong here, I'm just relying on rumors...). It will be interesting to see the actual energy-consumption of these "monsters", especially during 5G transmission.
I guess a small improvement of this modem could be done on Samsung 8nm node. ( Which is an improved version of 10nm )
Full Compliant with Rel.15, True MultiMode, first NR with both Sub 6Ghz and mmWave. And commercial availability by the end of 2018? We know Samsung is working on to catch up Qualcomm in the modem front, but not only have they got close, they have now exceed Qaulcomm in modem. At least on paper.
And Samsung would love Apple to use this. For lots of reasons, Building Fab isn't the most expensive part, having them not filled up is worst. Samsung needs something of consistent volume to fill those space.
"they have now exceed Qaulcomm in modem. At least on paper."
Samsung has been exceeding Qualcomm on modem front since 2016. This has been especially evident in Korea, where the Exynos powered Samsung flagship models were always 20~30% faster than Snapdragon powered LG flagship models in real world benchmarks. iPhones run at 1/3rd to 1/4th the data speed of Galaxys in Korea.
So is Apple all in with Intel on the modem? Seems to be good competition between Qualcomm and Samsung in 5G, though Samsung has a more complete single unit implementation for 1st gen apparently.
This is not a 1st gen product. Samsung's 1st gen 5G modem was produced in 2017, just not announced. This is Samsung's 2nd gen 5G modem and first to be announced. The X50 is indeed a 1st gen product; Qualcomm announced it when its physical silicon didn't exist.
In my experience, Samsung modems are not as good as Qualcomm when it comes to coverage, speed and mainly voice call quality. Maybe this has changed with newer versions, though.
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wrkingclass_hero - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - link
Yay, microwave radiation!Andrei Frumusanu - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - link
Better have that tinfoil hat on to protect against satellite transmissions!Dr. Swag - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - link
Wifi is still at much higher frequencies lolbaka_toroi - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - link
But Wifi has much lower signal strength than 5G.Santoval - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - link
Actually 5G (and I mean mmWave 5G, since sub-6GHz 5G is as fast as 4G LTE Category 20) is stronger than WiFi only in the sense that the mobile towers provide a stronger signal, i.e. with many more watts.Watt for watt WiFi is stronger, penetrates walls and floors easily (mmWave 5G cannot, so it is ruled out for in-building connections, where it will have to fall back to sub-6GHz mode) and it has a longer range.
That's because it uses a lower frequency. Higher frequencies provide faster speeds, but at the trade-off of all the above. mmWave 5G will also require a much higher density of mobile towers/antennas, due to its longer range, so it will be more costly to telcos and take much longer to be deployed, but even when it is deployed, there should be many "dark spots" remaining.
This is why 5G has a <6 GHz and mmWave frequency mode.
bcronce - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - link
IR is much higher frequency and much high wattage. Your skin is bathed in nearly a kilowatt of IR at room temperate. The only danger from microwave radiation that we know of and predict is localized heating. The heat from your cellphones battery is more dangerous than the wifi.wrkingclass_hero - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - link
It's the heating that's dangerous, it can damage DNA structure. The reason why people hear clicking and scratching noises when they are exposed to microwave radiation is because the heat is causing parts of their inner ears to expand. The Fire Department has banned the placement of cell towers around fire stations because they found that it was affecting their ability to think. Keep in mind that your brain does not have any pain receptors, only the blood vessels in your brain do, and the fact that people typically keep cell phones pressed against their heads when in use that's a bad combo.Diji1 - Thursday, August 16, 2018 - link
Lunacy.N Zaljov - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - link
"...while this might come at a disadvantage to eventual 7nm parts from the competition, ..."I don't know where I exactly got it from, but I read that Qualcomm's SDX50 is supposedly manufactured on 10LPP as well, coming in at a die size of around 95 mm² (don't slap me if I'm wrong here, I'm just relying on rumors...). It will be interesting to see the actual energy-consumption of these "monsters", especially during 5G transmission.
Andrei Frumusanu - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - link
AFAIK, Qualcomm hasn't confirmed details on the X50, only stating that in the future they'll use 7LPP for manufacturing:https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2018/02/21/...
iwod - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - link
Die Size Numbers ?I guess a small improvement of this modem could be done on Samsung 8nm node. ( Which is an improved version of 10nm )
Full Compliant with Rel.15, True MultiMode, first NR with both Sub 6Ghz and mmWave. And commercial availability by the end of 2018? We know Samsung is working on to catch up Qualcomm in the modem front, but not only have they got close, they have now exceed Qaulcomm in modem. At least on paper.
And Samsung would love Apple to use this. For lots of reasons, Building Fab isn't the most expensive part, having them not filled up is worst. Samsung needs something of consistent volume to fill those space.
SamitBasu - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - link
"they have now exceed Qaulcomm in modem. At least on paper."Samsung has been exceeding Qualcomm on modem front since 2016. This has been especially evident in Korea, where the Exynos powered Samsung flagship models were always 20~30% faster than Snapdragon powered LG flagship models in real world benchmarks. iPhones run at 1/3rd to 1/4th the data speed of Galaxys in Korea.
serendip - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - link
Modems are nice but what about antennas? I would love to see the antenna arrays needed to support everything from 2G all the way to mmWave 5G.Teckk - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - link
So is Apple all in with Intel on the modem? Seems to be good competition between Qualcomm and Samsung in 5G, though Samsung has a more complete single unit implementation for 1st gen apparently.SamitBasu - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - link
This is not a 1st gen product. Samsung's 1st gen 5G modem was produced in 2017, just not announced. This is Samsung's 2nd gen 5G modem and first to be announced. The X50 is indeed a 1st gen product; Qualcomm announced it when its physical silicon didn't exist.yeeeeman - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - link
In my experience, Samsung modems are not as good as Qualcomm when it comes to coverage, speed and mainly voice call quality. Maybe this has changed with newer versions, though.SamitBasu - Wednesday, August 15, 2018 - link
Actually you got it backward. Samsung's contemporary modem is always faster than Qualcomm's. This has been the case since late 2016.