With 5G cellular networks coming up the ranks across North America, Europe, and Asia, device manufacturers are backing themselves to add dedicated 5G support to hotspots and smartphones.
Now that Qualcomm has facilitated 5G hotspots on the hardware side using the Snapdragon 855 platform, more and more device makers are looking to roll our 5G-capable hotspots and mobiles.
In the latest scheme of this, Qualcomm today announced its partnership with Google for enhancing 5G developer APIs for Android Q in an attempt to facilitate faster access to multiplayer cloud gaming, AR for navigation and shopping, real-time video collaboration, and seamless access to high-speed cloud services.
Qualcomm VP Francesco Grilli explained that as 5G is prompting leading device makers to roll out 5G-enabled smartphones and with more and more carriers around the world looking to deploy 5G cellular networks, it’s high time for app developers to take charge of 5G deployment in applications.
As such, there are endless possibilities with the blazing-fast responsiveness and multi-gigabit connectivity that 5G brings to the table.
One of the essential developer-side modifications in Android Q is to facilitate superior access to real-time network performance data, including information on projected 5G throughput.
App developers expect their applications to use this data for enhancing the audio and video quality. Also, there will be a visibly-improved game and app responsiveness, thanks to the low latency that 5G connections have on offer.
Already, early 5G networks are promising superfast download speeds of up to 2Gbps, though it is likely to vary from carrier to carrier. As a result, still, we can expect peak speeds to around 500Mbps.
Even so, that is easily 10 to 20 times faster as compared to average 4G speeds in the US, and offers a drastic improvement in the server response time.
While 5G Android users can feel most of the improvements almost at once, they will need app optimizations to be done in order to enjoy a completely-revamped experience.
Google VP Bob Borchers has said that Android is a platform for innovations, given its proven speed to adapt, implement, and deploy the latest cutting-edge technologies such as 5G. He said that Google is excited to join hands with Qualcomm at the Google I/O for supporting developers. As a large ecosystem, Google is doing well to unlock the full potential of 5G.
Ever since its beta release in March, Android Q has covered a lot of good ground to subsequently add additional tweaks such as support for foldable smart devices.
Thinking in 5G event at Google I/O will be a blockbuster affair
The tablet and smartphone OS is just one of the numerous projects Google is showcasing at I/O today.
Developers who are keen to implement 5G network awareness in their apps can explore the Android website for important information and updates on the Connectivity Manager.
Along with the tweaks in Android Q, Qualcomm will be participating in a promising 5G session and workshop at the Google I/O to provide live 5G demos along with vital information on 5G deployments in the Android platform, including the use of updated tools and APIs.
At Google I/O, the workshop named “Thinking in 5G” will run on Thursday, May 9, from 9 am to 11 am (Pacific), at “The Garage” in California.
Meanwhile, Sprint has today said that it will be exhibiting the LG V50 ThinQ running on Sprint’s dual-connectivity 2.5GHz 4G and 5G networks at the Google I/O.