Qualcomm Snapdragon W5+ Gen1: New platform for wearables revealed
of Nils Ahrensmeier 
on July 19, 2022, 18:00 pm | Write a comment
With the Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1, the US chip manufacturer Qualcomm is introducing a new platform for wearables. We have all the information.
After the Snapdragon Wear 3100, 3100+ and the 4100 platform released two years ago, Qualcomm is now introducing a major update for their wearable chips. The name has also been adjusted to match the "Gen 1" naming convention, so the new platform is called "W5/W5+ Gen1". The two chips are now specified for two segments in the smartwatch area. The "normal" W5 is primarily intended for smartwatches in the "kids, enterprise or health" sector, while the Plus variant can be used in flagship watches.
The new W5 platform consists of two chips. (Image: Qualcomm)
Qualcomm has made some changes, at least in the Plus model. The SoC is now manufactured using a 4 nm process and consists of 4x A53 CPUs. The SoC is still supported by a co-processor, which now also contains the Bluetooth module. This should save even more battery. The power management IC and the modem have also been revised.
The new W5+ Gen 1 has been completely redesigned (Image: Qualcomm)
Snapdragon W5+ Gen1: This is what the chip should bring to everyday life
The upgrades are said to have three major impacts on everyday use. According to the Californians, battery life has improved significantly. The upgrades are designed to ensure that the main SoC is used as little as possible and that the coprocessor is much more efficient, especially during standby time. In initial tests by the chip manufacturer, this has led to 30 to 60% less power consumption; in normal "everyday" use, this should result in up to 50% more battery life (compared to the 4100+).
The new SoC should provide 50% more battery life in smartwatches. (Image: Qualcomm)
The new chip should also provide new user experiences such as 3D watch faces, 3D maps or a smooth UI through faster computing power. It remains to be seen how this will ultimately be built into and used in operating systems such as WearOS.
The new SoC should enable animated watch faces or 3D maps (Image: Qualcomm)
Qualcomm has already announced OPPO and Mobvoi as the first two partners. Oppo will launch the Oppo Watch 3 in China in August, which will be the first smartwatch with the standard W5 variant. Mobvoi, on the other hand, will use the W5+ platform in its next flagship smartwatch. There is no exact date for this yet, other than "later in the year".