Collaboration speeds up 5G gaming smartphone launch

Black Shark uses Qualcomm's latest platform, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx system-on-a-chip (SoC) and X55 5G modem to deliver a 360-degree gaming eco-system based on hardware, software and services.

"Keysight is helping us realise our strategic goal of creating an unmatched gaming experience for our international fanbase," said Michael Shen, general manager of the Testing Department at Black Shark. "Early access to reliable 5G test solutions provided by Keysight enables us to accelerate the market introduction of innovative and inspiring gaming experiences that will help bring people together."

Mobile gaming, the largest segment of the global games market, is predicted to generate a revenue of more than $150 billion in 2019 according to Newzoo.

Makers of mobile gaming smartphones and tablets are adopting 5G technology to create an enhanced gaming experience for enthusiasts willing to pay a premium to quickly stream games with richer content, delivered at a lower latency.

"Black Shark's selection of Keysight as their sole supplier of RF performance testing tools underscores the significance of our close collaboration on 5G technology with Xiaomi, one of Black Sharks' key investors," said Peng Cao, senior director of the Commercial Communications group at Keysight Technologies. "We're excited to play a key role in enabling leading 5G device makers, such as Black Shark, to commercialise 5G devices in a growing number of form factors across a multitude of regional variants."

The most recent report from the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) on the 5G device ecosystem confirms the proliferation of form factors, with nearly 130 announced in fifteen different form factors, including IoT routers, laptops and customer premise equipment (CPE) devices.

The connected ecosystem of wireless device makers use Keysight's 5G network emulation solutions, available on a single platform, to cost-effectively validate 5G NR multi-mode designs in multiple form factors across protocol, RF and radio resource management (RRM) in both non-standalone (NSA) and stand-alone (SA) modes.

In June 2019, this solution suite enabled Qualcomm Technologies to demonstrate the industry's first 5G laptop with integrated modem at Computex in Taipei, Taiwan.