NXP and Samsung are working together to release the first Android device with UWB capabilities. The device in question is the Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra, and it is being built with NXP’s SR100T Secure Ultra-Wideband (UWB) fine-ranging solution. The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra also features NXP’s eSIM, NFC, and Secure Element technology.
UWB will give the new Note20 superior location tracking capabilities, allowing the phone to place the user even in a crowded environment with multiple signals and obstacles like walls or other people. The technology is accurate enough to support completely hands-free interactions with IoT technologies like security doors and connected cars, which means that users will not even need to take the phone out of their pocket in order to gain access to restricted areas.
NXP’s mobile wallet, meanwhile, will enable a variety of applications that have become increasingly commonplace in contemporary smartphones, including NFC payments and mobile ticketing.
“We are excited to introduce future UWB functionality in Galaxy devices that will help locate items more accurately with AR technology and unlock your home as a digital key that will make life easier for consumers,” said Samsung VP and Technology Strategy Group Head Inkang Song.
“UWB has never been more important with mobile devices driving the digitization of identities so people can interact contactless with the world around them,” added NXP EVP and Connectivity and Security GM Rafael Sotomayor. “In addition to UWB, eSIM is also a new use case enabled in our mobile wallet that provides connectivity options beyond traditional SIM.”
Samsung and NXP are both founding members of the FiRa Consortium, which was established one year ago to promote the adoption of UWB tech. NXP would go on to release its SR100T chipset roughly one month later, and has since partnered with Sony and NTT DOCOMO to demo mobile payment and mobile advertising solutions that leverage that UWB utility.
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