Qualcomm has announced today its next generation mobile processors, the Snapdragon 810 and 808, featuring support for 64-bit processing and LTE Advanced networks.
The two new 20mm SoCs include the more powerful 8-core Snapdragon 810 and the smaller 6-core 808, both of which feature ARM cores under the lid. The main difference between the two models is the 4x ARM Cortex-A57 CPUs in the 810 and the 2x in the 808, as both models have four Cortex-A53 cores to complete their core tally. Both processors integrate the same LTE-Advance Cat6/7 modem, RF360 and Wi-Fi connectivity.
The Snapdragon 810 uses the Adreno 430 GPU which the company claims will up graphics performance by up to 30 per cent whilst reducing power consumption by up to 20 per cent compared to the Adreno 420. Whilst the Adreno 420 is not even available in current devices yet, Qualcomm also boasts the Adreno 430's support of a new level of GPU security for multimedia composition and management.
The 810 will also be able to handle high speed LPDDR4 memory whilst its graphics horsepower allows support for 4K displays. It will also support MU-Mino wireless technology which Qualcomm claims to offer much improved Wi-Fi performance for smartphone and tablets.
The Snapdragon 808, besides being less powerful than the 810 with only 6 cores, will feature the Adreno 418 GPU (with 2K displays in mind) and support for LPDDR3 RAM.
"These product announcements, in combination with the continued development of our next-generation custom 64-bit CPU, will ensure we have a tremendous foundation on which to innovate as we continue to push the boundaries of mobile computing performance in the years to come," said Murthy Renduchintala, executive vice president, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and co-president, QCT.
The Snapdragon 808 and 810 chips are not set to show up in products until early 2015 as Qualcomm is still planning the launch of its first 64-bit chips, the Snapdragon 610 and 615. These chips will complete the majority of Qualcomm's shift to 64-bit support whilst Android and Windows Phone are yet to transfer to 64-bit.
