AI portable devices, intelligent 5G-A, the strongest Wi-Fi, Qualcomm's new products at MWC depict the 6G landscape

Elephant Original (Wei Deling / Text)
Every year, MWC Barcelona attracts a large number of attendees seeking the next breakthrough in communications. Now, on its 20th anniversary, the attendee demographics and focus topics have changed significantly compared to the past—expanding from primarily telecom operators to over 60% vertical industry participants, evolving from cellular communication to artificial intelligence.

The various new products announced during the 2026 MWC Barcelona reflect this rapid transition connecting the present with the future. Core user needs are changing, and the design philosophy of connection technologies is evolving accordingly. The path toward 6G in the AI era is beginning to take shape amid this transformation.

To understand the logic behind these developments, let’s start with the recently announced Snapdragon Wearable Platform Supreme Edition, whose upgraded features are driven by changes in users’ daily habits.

The Rise of Personal AI on the Go

In the past, many users relied on various apps when using smart devices. Today, many app functions are being integrated into a single interface, often accessible with just a voice command. Searching, translating, browsing news—these tasks are increasingly handled by a single AI. Ordering takeout or executing certain actions can also be done through a voice command, with the AI completing the task.

During the exhibition, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon Wearable Platform Supreme Edition, which is bringing this new usage pattern—originally developed on smartphones—to smartwatches, pin-type devices, pendants, and more. The term “Supreme Edition” in wearables symbolizes superior performance and innovation. “Every design is aimed at delivering an ‘always-available intelligent experience’ without sacrificing size, comfort, or usability,” said Matthew DeHamer, Product Marketing Director at Qualcomm Technologies, during a media briefing.

A key feature of the Snapdragon Wearable Platform Supreme Edition is its ability to run models with 2 billion parameters directly on the device. This allows the device to “see what you see and hear what you hear” at any time. With this platform, devices can effectively process multimodal inputs from voice, vision, location, and sensors, creating personalized AI agents that support users in work, study, health, and daily life.

To achieve this, the platform significantly enhances its embedded NPU, enabling it to support more complex, continuous workloads without sacrificing energy efficiency. The integrated eNPU, Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, and sensor hub work together to meet on-the-go AI needs. Compared to previous generations, CPU performance is up to 5 times higher, GPU performance up to 7 times higher, delivering the responsive experience consumers expect.

In terms of battery life, the Supreme Edition can extend daily usage by 30% and can be charged to about 50% in just 10 minutes. Connectivity options include 5G RedCap, ultra-low power Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 6.0, UWB, GNSS, and NB-IoT satellite communication.

With this level of performance, wearable devices equipped with the Supreme Edition, combined with on-device AI capabilities, allow users to perform many tasks without relying on a phone—simply communicating with their watch, necklace, or other close-to-body devices. This shift reveals that wearables, which once depended on pairing and the processing power and communication capabilities of smartphones, now possess more autonomous intelligence. From an interaction perspective, no device is the center anymore; everything revolves around the user.

This technological revolution centered on “you” is also reflected in the evolution of connection technologies.

Insights from 5G-A and the Most Powerful Wi-Fi Behind the Demand

Before diving into Qualcomm’s most significant new products at this year’s MWC, let’s look back at last year’s X85, which already enhanced user connectivity experiences. At this year’s Qualcomm booth, products from Xiaomi, iQOO, OPPO, and Honor will demonstrate how a series of technologies—such as 6Rx, Smart DSDA, Turbo DSDA, and SNS—break the traditional thinking about signal stability. In areas like high-speed trains, subways, underground garages, and stairwells, where signals are often unstable, these advanced connection technologies ensure high-quality network access. AI plays a crucial role in these solutions, detecting user grip postures, dynamically managing bandwidth, intelligently selecting networks, and sensing environmental contexts. What once seemed static—connectivity—is now dynamically adjusting in real time based on user needs.

“By combining AI-driven predictive context-aware network selection, 5G standalone networks, 5G Advanced ultra-low latency features, and advanced cross-platform collaboration, we will usher in a new era of digital interaction—where user experience becomes the core driver of technological progress,” said Max Rodrigues, Product Manager at Techcom.

The evolution of connection technology around “you” is closely linked to Qualcomm’s integration of AI into modems and RF systems. Since 2022, Qualcomm’s X70 has incorporated AI-enhanced features, and the X85 in demonstration models now includes the fourth-generation dedicated AI processor. The recently announced flagship X105 integrates even more AI capabilities.

The Qualcomm X105 features a fifth-generation 5G AI processor designed for the AI-powered era of intelligent agents, leveraging the modem’s onboard AI to enhance connectivity. Its advanced sensing software can detect and predict radio frequency conditions, optimizing 5G connections. OEMs can access predictive intelligence via APIs to improve performance across various user scenarios, delivering outstanding 5G-A performance and user experience.

The X105 also introduces a new RF transceiver that reduces board area by 15% and power consumption by 30%. It is the first platform supporting NR-NTN, enabling satellite networks based on standard protocols to support voice, video calls, streaming, data, and messaging. Additionally, it is the first modem supporting four-frequency GNSS, providing broader global coverage, improved positioning accuracy, and 25% lower power consumption. As part of its architecture, the X105 incorporates new RF front-end components, including a new power amplifier module, an envelope tracker for energy efficiency, and a full set of RF components supporting NR-NTN.

Wi-Fi, an essential connection technology in daily life, is also advancing. Qualcomm showcased the latest Wi-Fi 8 capabilities at this year’s MWC. Jesse Burke, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Qualcomm Technologies, stated: “AI is also embedded in local networks, and Wi-Fi 8 plays a key role. Designed for ultra-reliable, low-latency connections, Wi-Fi 8 gives Qualcomm a unique leading edge in this field.”

The Qualcomm FastConnect 8800 mobile connectivity system features multiple cutting-edge capabilities. It is the fastest and longest-range mobile Wi-Fi solution to date, with a peak physical layer rate of 11.6 Gbps. It is also the only solution integrating Wi-Fi 8, Bluetooth 7, the latest UWB, and Thread on a single chip. It employs proximity sensing and system-level AI optimization to enhance performance.

Burke highlighted that AI-driven wireless demands are growing, including the need for reliable wireless traffic, edge-based AI inference, gigabit-plus uplink bandwidth, and near-field AI sensing—trends that will be reflected in 2026’s new wireless products.

“Over the past five generations, we’ve used AI within modems to improve gaming, video calls, Wi-Fi and cellular handovers, and many other use cases. Our expertise in integrating AI into modems has laid a solid foundation for Qualcomm’s future AI-native 6G,” said Nitin Dhiman, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Qualcomm Technologies.

As these trends and technological advancements converge in new connectivity products, the vision of 6G is becoming clearer.

A Clear Path to 6G

Today, AI can intelligently allocate network resources under 5G, and 6G is set to fundamentally enhance this capability from the ground up. “AI-native” has become a key term in Qualcomm’s 6G discussions.

“Industry players are fully integrating AI considerations into the development of 6G. It’s the first generation of cellular technology designed from inception with AI in mind, so 6G is called an ‘AI-native’ network system,” explained Nitin Dhiman. Nearly every aspect of 6G connectivity—from channel coding and modulation to power optimization between devices and networks—will leverage AI. Network management will also incorporate AI-based optimizations to improve energy efficiency and provide comprehensive services and experiences to subscribers.

In other words, as platforms like the Snapdragon Wearable Platform Supreme Edition begin to support personalized user interactions, 6G will evolve into an AI-native infrastructure supporting personal AI, physical AI, and agent AI—serving as the foundation for next-generation innovation and unlocking AI’s full economic potential. Dhiman believes 6G will bring abundant opportunities for innovation, extending beyond connectivity to include wide-area sensing and computing.

The series of new products announced by Qualcomm at this MWC clearly show that, beyond enhanced connectivity, the X105 can perceive user scenarios through agent AI, the FastConnect 8800 supports near-field AI sensing, and the newly launched Yuelong network products introduce a range of AI-native network computing capabilities, directly integrating edge AI into the network.

This enhancement of AI capabilities extends beyond user devices. Qualcomm also announced the launch of an intelligent RAN management service supporting “collaborative teams” of multiple AI agents. These tools enable autonomous network monitoring, problem analysis, action plan generation, and testing, with closed-loop systems capable of self-adjustment.

“We are advancing autonomous networks, paving the way toward self-operating networks at 6G levels,” Dhiman said. Qualcomm is integrating more AI features into deployed platforms to improve uplink and downlink performance and reducing costs through factory calibration.

Connection technology is becoming a new bridge, enabling different industries to partner with AI, while AI empowers connection to reach higher levels. Behind Qualcomm’s new products at MWC is a common theme: an “Ecosystem of You,” built around the user, with technology working in concert to shape the 6G landscape of the AI era.