Your next Android phone could have one of the iPhone’s best features

Qualcomm

Whether you emotion aliases dislike nan iPhone, there’s nary arguing that 1 area successful which Apple excels is building ecosystems. Twenty years ago, nan iPod spurred Mac adoption, and coming nan institution has a wide array of products and solutions that activity together seamlessly from your pouch to your surviving room and beyond.

Whether that’s copying matter connected your MacBook and pasting it connected your iPhone, unlocking your Mac pinch your Apple Watch, aliases effortlessly moving immoderate you’re listening to betwixt an Apple TV, HomePod, and group of AirPods, Apple has almost perfected nan magical “just works” acquisition of utilizing its products together.

In much caller years, Google and Samsung person worked to do nan aforesaid wrong their respective ecosystems, pinch Pixel and Galaxy phones joined by accompanying earbuds, tablets, and Android TV solutions. Now, Qualcomm is coming to nan array pinch a overmuch amended solution that promises to unify each Android devices and accessories truthful they “work arsenic one.”

This is Snapdragon Seamless

Qualcomm

During today’s Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm announced nan adjacent invention successful its Snapdragon spot technology. Dubbed “Snapdragon Seamless,” it’s a cross-platform solution that will let each devices powered by its Qualcomm Snapdragon bid of chips to stock accusation and supply easy multi-device experiences truthful they tin activity arsenic 1 integrated system.

Unlike Apple, Google, and Samsung, this won’t beryllium different one-vendor ecosystem. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips are recovered successful astir each Android smartphone and tablet connected nan market, and they’re starting to find their measurement into much accepted Windows PCs, too. Hence, Qualcomm has a ample database of partners to take from, and it’s already signed connected Microsoft, Android, Xiaomi, Asus, Honor, Lenovo, and Oppo for its first collaboration “to create multi-device experiences enabled by Snapdragon Seamless.”

While nan announcement only came today, Qualcomm and its partners person intelligibly been moving connected this for a while, arsenic nan chipmaker says nan first devices pinch Snapdragon Seamless could get later this year. The solutions spell beyond simply exchanging information betwixt phones, tablets, and laptops to moreover empowering mice and keyboards to activity seamlessly crossed aggregate devices.

The champion portion of this is that you won’t request to interest if you’re utilizing a Microsoft Surface pinch an Asus smartphone and a Lenovo tablet; they’ll each conscionable activity together arsenic 1 happy family of devices — arsenic agelong arsenic they person Qualcomm’s latest silicon, of course.

“Snapdragon Seamless fundamentally breaks down nan barriers betwixt [manufacturers], devices, and operating systems. It’s nan only cross-device solution to genuinely put nan personification first,” said Dino Bekis, Qualcomm’s vice president and wide head of wearables and mixed awesome solutions.

Qualcomm

Unsurprisingly, Snapdragon Seamless is etched into Qualcomm’s latest chips, truthful don’t expect it to look arsenic an update for older devices. However, it should beryllium disposable successful each nan caller flagships, arsenic nan institution says it’s incorporated into the caller Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile platform — nan spot that will undoubtedly powerfulness adjacent year’s Samsung Galaxy S24 series — arsenic good arsenic nan Snapdragon X Elite PC chipset and wearables and hearables that usage Qualcomm chips, specified arsenic nan Snapdragon Sound level thatvrelies connected nan Qualcomm S7 Pro Gen 1 chip.

For now, Qualcomm is focusing connected those circumstantial platforms, but it plans to widen Snapdragon Seamless to extended reality hardware and automotive and Internet of Things platforms down nan road.

What tin Snapdragon Seamless do?

Qualcomm

Out of nan gate, Snapdragon Seamless will screen nan astir celebrated multi-device scenarios, providing easy find of devices on aggregate platforms, record transfer, surface and record sharing, and intelligent audio switching.

In applicable terms, this intends you’ll beryllium capable to resistance and driblet a record from a Qualcomm-powered laptop to your Android smartphone without nan request to spell done a analyzable pairing and find process; some devices should instantly beryllium visible to each different arsenic a imaginable destination for your files. The aforesaid method would beryllium utilized to initiate a screen-sharing session.

Intelligent audio switching is thing that Apple, Google, and Samsung users are apt already acquainted with. It allows AirPods, Pixel Buds, aliases Galaxy Buds to transparently manus disconnected audio betwixt their respective devices — specified arsenic erstwhile a telephone comes successful connected your iPhone while you’re listening to euphony connected your MacBook.

However, Snapdragon Seamless will return this a measurement further, acknowledgment to its cross-platform nature. For nan first time, you’ll beryllium capable to do this moreover erstwhile each of your devices are made by different vendors — including nan earbuds.

Qualcomm

While extended reality (XR) applications are a spot further down nan road, Qualcomm showed disconnected an XR Fitness demo that illustrated really a brace of smart glasses could show a individual trainer and workout metrics superimposed complete nan wearer’s eyes. This was intended to show nan standard of nan Snapdragon Seamless platform, which would presumably beryllium utilized to nexus up nan glasses to immoderate instrumentality is being utilized to big nan workout.

Again, nan biggest drawback to each of this is that these devices request to beryllium powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips. That’s very communal among Android smartphones and tablets, but little truthful pinch laptops, headphones, and earbuds.

Qualcomm people hopes that Snapdragon Seamless will promote much manufacturers to adopt its latest Qualcomm chips, but there’s 1 point that seems clear — Apple fans are going to beryllium near retired of nan multi-platform party. Although Qualcomm says that Snapdragon Seamless is “open to everyone,” that should beryllium publication arsenic everyone who builds Android, Windows, and Snapdragon devices. With nan objection of its 5G modem chips, Apple doesn’t trust connected Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform, which intends that iPhone and iPad owners are conscionable going to person to proceed enjoying life successful their ain walled gardens.

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