However, the Googler also mentioned that the company may add the latest standards of 5G connectivity with its upcoming Android 14. Pixel 7 is expected to be updated with the latest 5G standards later in 2023. Apart from this, the report also states that the Pixel 8 is rumoured to use the same 5300 modems with the Tensor G3 chipset. So, probably the upcoming phone may get support for the latest 5G standards.
Latest 5G standards: What are they
3GPP is an amalgamation of multiple standard organisations that develop protocols for mobile telecommunications. 5G is currently the primary focus for the regulator and the standards are termed “releases”.
The first 5G standard, Release 15, was launched in June 2018. It was followed by Release 16 in July 2020. In 2021, Qualcomm added support for Release 16 with the Snapdragon X65. the chipmaker also added support for the latest standard for 2022’s X70 modem which Samsung uses in its latest flagship Galaxy S23 flagship models).
Meanwhile, Release 17 was announced in June of 2022 and 3GPP is targeting a 2024 launch for Release 18. Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon X75 with Release 17 and 18 support earlier this month. Earlier this month, the company unveiled the Snapdragon X75 which supports both Release 17 and 18.
Importance of Release 16
Qualcomm explains that Release 16 brings a “plethora of enhancements to the foundational aspects of the 5G system, in terms of coverage, capacity, latency, power, mobility, reliability, ease of deployment, and more.” The company mentions that the power-saving features of the newer 5G standard are significant.
To describe the latest standard, Qualcomm said, “For instance, a new wakeup signal (WUS) can let the device know if a transmission is pending or allowing it to stay in low-power mode, skipping the next low-power DRX (discontinuous reception) monitoring period. Others include optimized low-power settings, overhead reduction, and more efficient power control mechanisms.”
