Qualcomm wants to be the chip inside whatever replaces your smartphone, and it just announced two products toward that end
techcrunch.com Jun 17, 2026

Qualcomm wants to be the chip inside whatever replaces your smartphone, and it just announced two products toward that end

AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication

Qualcomm is aggressively betting on the next major computing platform not being a phone, with over 40 AI wearable devices in development, including jewelry, earbuds, and smart glasses. To power this vision, the company is announcing two new offerings: Snapdragon Reality Elite, a platform for mixed-reality glasses, and START, a combination of hardware modules and software stack for AI devices. Snapdragon Reality Elite delivers significant performance improvements, enabling better head and hand tracking, see-through capabilities, and quick AI interactions.

💡 Why It Matters

  • · Qualcomm's push into wearable devices and AI platforms signals a shift in the tech industry's focus from smartphones to more intimate, context-aware computing experiences.
  • · This could fundamentally alter the competitive landscape, as established players like Apple and Samsung may struggle to adapt to new form factors and business models.