How LTE Modems Make or Break a Smartphone

By _EETimes Blog

December 17, 2015

If you've ever gone through prolonged Web abstinence and found it debilitating, you should appreciate what modems do for one's well-being.

Modems (modulator/demodulators) are the cellphone devices that keep us connected to cyberspace. In advanced smartphones, LTE modems are required. Without modems, smartphones would be little more than personal information managers or personal digital assistants (PDAs) and I can recall almost total dependence on mine in the early ‘90s. And unconnected from the Internet, you could play only relatively simple games (e.g., Bejeweled?). Think of when you’re on an airplane without connectivity. In airplane mode, you’ll have no access to the Web or email, which also means no Facebook, no Instagram, no Periscope, and no Skype or Facetime. Prolonged Web abstinence can be debilitating for some, so they should appreciate what modems do for one’s well-being.

Smartphones consist of two main components: Modems and application processors. As mentioned, modems are your access to the outside world while application processors are basically CPUs that provide computation, video, graphics and sound associated with gaming, productivity and processing your outside world data. The measured performance of each of the two main components provides measures to assess the performance value of a smartphone. Of course, there are other concerns in purchasing a smartphone, like appearance, screen size, weight and even snob appeal.

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