Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon Wear Elite with on-device NPU, 5G RedCap and satellite connectivity

Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon Wear Elite platform at MWC 2026 - it's the company's first personal AI-focused wearable platform with integrated on-device AI processing.

Snapdragon Wear Elite comes with Qualcomm’s Hexagon NPU to enable high-performance AI processing directly on the device, supporting billion-parameter models at the edge. The platform is designed for use across multiple form factors including smartwatches, pins, pendants and hubs, and supports Wear OS by Google, Android and Linux.

In terms of performance, Qualcomm is claiming up to 5x better single-core CPU performance and up to 7x faster GPU performance compared to the previous Snapdragon W5+ Gen 2 platform. The company also states that the platform enables multi-day battery life, 30% longer daily usage compared to the prior generation, and up to 50% charge in approximately 10 minutes.

Connectivity is a major focus of the new platform. Snapdragon Wear Elite utilizes six wireless technologies: 5G RedCap, micro-power Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 6.0, ultra-wideband (UWB), GNSS and NB-NTN satellite connectivity. NB-NTN enables satellite-based two-way messaging when cellular and Wi-Fi coverage are unavailable, in collaboration with partners including Skylo.

Qualcomm states that the platform is backed by partners including Google, Motorola and Samsung. The first commercial devices using this platform are expected to launch in the coming months.