Qualcomm had a big presence at MWC 2026. The chipset maker unveiled its new X105 5G modem there, which will be integrated on the next Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 SoC. Naturally, any device in the future using this new chipset will also feature the X105 modem. Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra is already primed for the upgrade.
The company used the older Qualcomm X85 5G modem on the 8 Elite Gen 5. It was their first modem with full 3GPP (Release 19) support. That technology basically laid down the foundation for 6G networks, though it is still a 5G advanced modem.
Qualcomm X105 modem picks things up where the X85 left off. The chipset maker is still developing this 5G modem, by the way. The MWC keynote was just a presentation. This new platform will be released alongside the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 in the third quarter of 2026.
They did tease theoretical speeds and upgrades for the X105 modem. The peak download speeds recorded on X105 are 14.8 Gbps, only knocked down to 13.2 Gbps on sub-6GHz networks. The modem’s peak upload speeds were around 4.2 Gbps. To check the available information regarding Samsung's smartphones and the Samsung Price Catalog, visit our Website.
They’ve paired the X105 modem with the new RF transceiver. So it has the potential for 30% lower power consumption than the X85. The Quad Frequency GNSS support should boost location accuracy, at least for devices with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6.
The company has an AI algorithm set up for the X105, so it predicts and optimizes network connectivity on its own. It comes in the form of an API that smartphone makers can use to design their own network optimization tools. We’ve seen a few versions on Oppo, Vivo, and Infinix devices recently.
There’s another upgrade, and perhaps the most important one for future handsets. The X105 has a new Radio Non-Terrestrial Network (NR-NTN) feature that could potentially bring satellite 5G support on mobile devices. Galaxy S27 Ultra will most likely use the new X105 modem integrated on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 SoC. All that’s left is an official confirmation. Keep watching the news for updates.
