Qualcomm has finally introduced its next-gen Snapdragon Gen 2 mobile platform at Snapdragon Summit 2022. This is a little unusual for the chipset maker, as the event where Qualcomm unveils its flagship chipset generally happens in December. But here we are, and the new flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset brings new improvements, specifically in the core design and AI arena. Check out the details below to know more.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Announced
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which succeeds last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, has a Kryo CPU with the prime core clocked at up to 3.2GHz, 4 performance cores clocked up to 2.8GHz, and 3 efficiency cores at up to 2.0GHz.
This is the biggest upgrade for the Snapdragon chipset this year, as the 8 Gen 2 has moved from a 1+3+4 CPU architecture to a 1+4+3 CPU architecture, which is more like 1+(2+2)+3 architecture. With more performance cores, the chipset offers a stellar 35% performance improvement in comparison to the 8 Gen 1. You can read about the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in-depth via the linked article. Also, it supports up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM.
The main highlight is the new Qualcomm AI Engine powered by the Qualcomm Hexagon Processor. This enables functionalities such as multi-language translation and transcription and AI-backed camera features. There’s support for INT4, an AI precision format with up to 60% performance/ watt improvement.
Snapdragon Elite Gaming also brings another interesting upgrade, now enabling hardware-based ray tracing (much like the recently announced MediaTek Dimensity 9200 SoC). The SoC includes the new Qualcomm Adreno 740 GPU for 25% faster GPU performance and 40% improved efficiency. There’s support for Unreal Engine 5 Metahumans Framework and Vulkan 1.3 APIs.
For imaging, there’s support for the Qualcomm Spectra 18-bit triple Cognitive ISP, which enhances images and videos with semantic segmentation. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 comes with support for up to 200MP cameras (click 36MP photos simultaneously with all three cameras), 8K HDR videos, and more.
The Snapdragon X70 5G Modem-RF System with Qualcomm 5G AI Processor aims to ensure high 5G speeds. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the first SoC to come with a dedicated 5G AI processor and the world’s first commercial SoC to support Wi-Fi 7. It also supports 5G Dual-SIM Dual-Active (DSDA). Other connectivity options include Bluetooth version 5.3, and Bluetooth LE, among other things.
Additionally, the 8 Gen 2 comes with Snapdragon Sound tech, comes with Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking, Snapdragon Secure for enhanced Face Unlock, and more. There’s also support for GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, and even India’s NavIC.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2: Availability
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset will reach phones by OEMs like OnePlus, Motorola, iQOO, Xiaomi, Asus, Oppo, Sony, Redmi, and more by the end of 2022. We expect the upcoming Vivo X90 Pro+, iQOO 11, Xiaomi 13, Samsung Galaxy S23 series, and other new Android flagships to be powered by Qualcomm’s new chipset.
