The world's largest mobile chipmaker is using 5G phones to go after Intel and Apple -- hard. That was clear after Qualcomm's tech summit in Hawaii this week. One after the other, executives compared the speed and battery gains of Qualcomm's processors that will power 5G and 4G phones and laptops to Intel and Apple's competing models. 

The potshots came fast and furious. Qualcomm wants a piece of Intel's PC pie, and it wants to punish Apple for leaving Qualcomm chips out of current and future iPhones. It also wants to push back against the perception that Apple, with its internal mobile processor business, is leading the pack when it comes to chip technology. 

For Qualcomm, it's key to maintain its position as the world's biggest mobile chipmaker. Smartphone sales are starting to slow, but Qualcomm keeps benefiting from offering must-have features in its newest chips. It needs that to remain the case, particularly as it sees more competition not only from other processor makers but also from device makers, like Apple, designing their own chips.