Qualcomm’s New Snapdragon Chips Will Make Next Phone More Powerful Than Ever

Qualcomm has announced four new Snapdragon processors, which will allow it to bring a wide range of advanced specifications to mid and budget range handsets.

The US chipmaker, responsible for producing the processors for many Android devices, is launching two new chips in its Snapdragon 600 range, the 620 and 618, and two Snapdragon 400 chips, the 425 and 415, as it looks to get its products in more devices than ever before.

Boosted

The Snapdragon 620 and 618 both pack in features previously only found in Qualcomm’s top-tier Snapdragon 800 range, including 4K video capture and playback, improved graphics, advanced Wi-Fi connectivity, alongside fast-charging capability thanks to the company’s QuickCharge 2.0 technology. Both also come equipped with an all-new X8 LTE modem which can support download speeds of up to 300Mbps.

This power boost is thanks to an all-new build boosted by ARM’s latest Cortex A72 cores, which are 64-bit and built using a big.LITTLE configuration for optimal power-to-performance balance. The 618 comes with a hexa-core setup (two A72 and four A53), whereas the 620 is octa-core(four A72 and four A53).

Snappy

Meanwhile, the 425 and 415, designed for use in lower-cost devices, become the first chips in the Snapdragon 400 range to go octa-core, replacing the traditional quad-core design of the 400 series with a more powerful 64-bit Cortex A53 28nm setup.

The graphics capabilities have also been improved thanks to a boosted Adreno 405 GPU, and there is also support for faster network speeds than ever before thanks to new LTE modems also released today by Qualcomm. The 415 will now feature an X5 LTE modem, offering Cat. 4 speeds of up to 150Mbps, while the 425 packs the same X8 modem as the 618 and 620.

Lastly, both processors will also now feature QuickCharge 2.0, as well as dual image signal processors (ISPs), which are supposed to allow much better cameras in mid-ranged devices.

“It has always been Qualcomm Technologies’ strategy to introduce industry-leading features first at the premium Snapdragon 800 tier design point, and then scale these features into our Snapdragon 600, 400 and 200 products, so that we can help our customers deliver great user experiences to cost-conscious consumers,” said Alex Katouzian, senior vice president of product management, Qualcomm Technologies.

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