Source: Chris Wedel/Android Central
Qualcomm could be working on a new wearable chip to compete with Samsung’s rumored Exynos W920 chipset. The folks at XDA Developers have spotted code for an upcoming Qualcomm wearable chipset codenamed “monaco.” The upcoming platform will likely succeed the Snapdragon Wear 4100, which powers some of the best Android smartwatches.
The new code was uploaded by Qualcomm to its Code Aurora Forum last week with build ID “LAW.UM.2.0-00700-SW5100.0.” “LAW” is said to stand for “Linux Android Wear,” while “SW5100” is believed to be short for the platform’s possible marketing name, Snapdragon Wear 5100.
The code reveals that the “monaco” platform is being developed on top of Linux kernel 5.4, but it isn’t clear if the platform is based on Android 11. While Android 11 is listed in the CAF releases page, the shipping API level in a config file points to the platform being based on Android 10. Since Google has already confirmed that the Wear OS 3 update will come to some existing smartwatches powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 4100, the upcoming platform is expected to fully support Google’s new wearable operating system.
As per XDA, the commit history and configuration files suggest “monaco” is based on the chipmaker’s “bengal” platform. “bengal” happens to be the codename for Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 662 and 460 mobile platforms. The two 11nm chips, which were announced alongside the mid-range Snapdragon 720G last year, feature four ARM Cortex-A73 cores and four Cortex-A53 cores. “Monaco”, however, could come with a quad-core CPU featuring ARM’s Cortex-A73 cores. For reference, Qualcomm’s current Snapdragon 4100 uses four ARM Cortex-A53 cores. This suggests the next-gen wearable platform from Qualcomm will be a decent upgrade over the Snapdragon 4100 in terms of performance.
Beloved life sim My Time at Portia finally makes its way to Android
My Time at Portia is an immersive, expansive life sim game. Originally for PC and later released on the Nintendo Switch, My Time at Portia’s success has culminated in a faithful mobile version. Get the full My Time at Portia experience at your fingertips!
