Is 2020 the Year of Dual-Frequency GNSS Smartphones?

The launch of the Xiaomi Mi 8 smartphone in 2018 marked the arrival of the first dual-frequency GNSS-capable smartphone to the market. Up until that point, most smartphones had relied upon single-frequency GNSS solutions that leveraged the E1/L1 band alone. Dual-frequency GNSS solutions are capable of receiving two individual signals (at different frequencies) from a single satellite, most commonly the E1/L1 band and L5/E5a bands. By utilizing two different frequencies, GNSS receivers can correct ionospheric errors by comparing the delay measurements from each band, which improves accuracy. In addition, by leveraging the lower frequency L5/E5a band, dual-frequency devices are less prone to multipath delays, ensuring that performance is much greater in dense urban environments with tall buildings. Signal acquisition time is also reduced, meaning faster satellite locks, while dual-frequency solutions are also more reliable as they can leverage the second band if the first fails. Unsurprisingly, then, the increased accuracy (meters to decimeter), greater reliability, and improved performance of these solutions have spurred a number of chipset vendors and device Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to adopt the technology over the last 18 months, while the technology continues to improve.

Broadcom was the first to market with a dual-frequency GNSS chipset, introducing its BCM47755 in September 2017, which was subsequently implemented in the Xiaomi Mi 8.  In late 2019, Broadcom announced its second generation BCM4776 dual-frequency GNSS chipset with support for GPS, GLONASS, NAVIC, BeiDou, Galileo, SBAS, and QZSS. In contrast to its first-generation product in 2017, the latest chipset is capable of tracking 30 new L5 signals, over 60% more, bringing significant improvements to both accuracy and the reliability of the solution. The company claims that the solution can now be leveraged for lane-level driving navigation and will be in production early 2020.

Following in Broadcom’s footsteps, in December 2018 Qualcomm unveiled its Snapdragon 855 Mobile Platform with dual-frequency GNSS support. Smartphones such as the Google Pixel 4 and 4XL; the OnePlus 7, 7 Pro, and 7T; Xiaomi K20 Pro; and Oppo Reno 10x Zoom, among others, all list support for dual-frequency GNSS. In December 2019, Qualcomm followed up with the Snapdragon 865, 765, and 765G, each capable of supporting dual-frequency GNSS, while in January 2020, the Snapdragon 720G, 662, and 460 platforms were unveiled, bringing dual-frequency GNSS capabilities beyond flagship devices and into the middle tier of devices. Though a smartphone equipped with these platforms is not always guaranteed to support dual-frequency technology, it is clear that momentum for dual-frequency-capable devices is growing and will continue to as these platform announcements translate to both flagships and upper middle tier devices over the next 12 months.

Qualcomm is not alone on the mobile platform side in supporting dual-frequency GNSS. In 2018, HiSilicon announced the dual-frequency capable Kirin 980 chipset, which has since been supported in high volume Huawei smartphones such as the P30 and P30 Pro, Mate 20, Mate 20 Pro, Nova 5T, and Honor View 20, among others.  In November 2019, MediaTek unveiled its Dimensity 1000 5G SoC, a dual-frequency GNSS-capable device, and claimed that it features 25 more L5 bands than any other smartphone chip, giving it the most comprehensive coverage. Alongside 5G, this solution will help spread dual-frequency GNSS to mid-tier and mass market devices. In May 2019, Chinese GNSS chipset vendor Allystar Technology announced that the Lenovo Z6 Youth comes equipped with its HD8040 dual-frequency solution. The HD8040 is the first solution that supports the BDS-3 constellation and is able to track all global civil navigation systems including BeiDou, GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, NAVIC, QZSS, and SNAS.  

For companies such as Broadcom, it is likely to become more challenging to build market shares as smartphone OEMs continue their shift toward more integrated solutions from the likes of Qualcomm, MediaTek, HiSilicon, Samsung, and Unisoc. While Samsung has traditionally leveraged Broadcom’s GNSS solutions, there is also a risk that the company may integrate further as a number of Exynos chipsets such as the 9610 and 7904 now support GNSS, albeit single-frequency. However, high volume flagship Exynos devices such as the S10 and recently unveiled S20 continue to leverage Broadcom’s GNSS chips. It remains to be seen whether Snapdragon versions of upcoming Galaxy devices will begin to leverage Qualcomm’s dual-frequency GNSS.

Of course, there is a big name missing from all of the aforementioned supported devices: Apple. The company has recently relied on Intel for its modem’s and GNSS solutions, and to date Intel has not supported dual-frequency GNSS in any of its modems. In July 2019, Apple announced it was acquiring the majority of Intel’s modem business, and as the installed base of dual-frequency solutions builds throughout 2020, additional pressure will be placed upon the company to support the improved performance that dual-frequency can offer in its next wave of iPhones.

To summarize, though dual-frequency GNSS uptake has not been rapid, as more and more of these aforementioned new dual-frequency capable platforms and chipsets hit the market, ABI Research anticipates a much higher uptake of dual-frequency GNSS solutions than ever before. It is particularly encouraging that support is transcending beyond premium flagship platforms and moving into the mid-tier of devices.

In addition, as smartphones begin to incorporate improved BLE technologies with direction finding, alongside ranging capabilities of UWB, more precise GNSS leveraged in conjunction with these enhancements could help to create better and more unique Augmented Reality (AR), gaming, and other location services that require more precise indoor and outdoor location over the next few years.