Qualcomm: Snapdragon chip with LTE modem to sample later this year

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Qualcomm said later this year it will begin shipping samples of its next-generation tablet and smartphone chip, which promises to include an LTE modem, be faster and more power efficient.

During the chip maker's earnings conference call last week, Executive Vice President Steve Mollenkopf said the new Snapdragon MSM8960 dual-core chip will be based on a new architecture that is made to deliver five times faster performance and use 75 percent less power than the architecture powering the current generation of Snapdragon chips. It also will include multi-mode 3G/LTE modems.

The company will share more details about the new chip and architecture at the upcoming Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona, Feb. 14 to 17.

Qualcomm said that some 150 devices with Snapdragon chips are under development, including HTC's upcoming Thunderbolt smartphone. This new dual-core chip is part of the design for 60 devices, including tablets and smartphones.