Could the new Qualcomm processor give extra life to smartwatch batteries?
There’s a new processor in town from Qualcomm, and while that doesn’t sound like big news, it is if you hate charging your wearable every night.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor is 30% smaller than its older model, the Snapdragon 400 – which is the CPU that’s found in almost all Android Wear smartwatches like the original Moto 360 . Even the second-gen Moto 360 runs off the older processor, explaining its lack of battery juice despite being a newer device.
Available in both connected 4G/LTE/3G and Bluetooth/Wi-Fi versions, the processor will use 25% less power regardless of being tethered or untethered.
The new CPU is part of Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon Wear platform which is aimed at providing next-gen tech specifically for wearables. Qualcomm’s Raj Talluri noted in a press release that the platform will enable, “sleek designs, long battery life, smart sensing, and always-connected experiences in the next generation of wearable devices.”
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It also looks like LG will be the first in line to plop the new chip in future smartwatches as David Yoon, vice president of LG’s smartwatch division stated the company is looking forward to collaborating with Qualcomm and releasing not only smartwatches, but “wearable devices…later this year.”
Hopefully LG will see its plans through since the Urbane 2 didn’t make it out of the gate.
If the new Snapdragon CPU is as good as Qualcomm claims, it sounds like smartwatches and fitness trackers will get a much needed battery boost in addition smaller wrist-ware since the processor is much smaller, thinner and lighter.
