Chip manufacturer Qualcomm has announced two new Snapdragon processors, which should soon be in the first smartphones.
With the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 and the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1, Qualcomm is introducing two new smartphone chips and is thus adding more processors to the new naming scheme with just one digit instead of three. The first devices with the new Snapdragons should be available for purchase soon.
The Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 will be used in mid-range smartphones and tablets. The octa-core chip, whose exact configuration Qualcomm specifies with four Cortex-A78 cores and four A55 cores, is manufactured using the 4-nanometer process and has a speed of up to 2.2 GHz. In addition to an Adreno GPU of an unknown type, the 64-bit chip contains an X62 modem that works in the 5G network and achieves data transfer speeds of up to 2.9 Gbps. In close range, Wifi 6E is available for the first time in Qualcomm’s mid-range.
As the first Qualcomm chip of the 6 series, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 not only masters a maximum photo resolution of 108 megapixels, but also computational HDR with multiple staggered HDR-capable image sensors. For mobile gamers, Qualcomm promises better gaming performance with 35 percent faster rendering and 40 percent more computing power than before in the 6 series.
Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 starts first
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 is one level weaker and is therefore intended for the majority of inexpensive entry-level smartphones. As in the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, eight computing cores (yes, four A78 and A55) are also used in the 4 series, but they only run with up to to 2GHz. Qualcomm manufactures the chip with a likewise unspecified Adreno graphics unit in a process with a structure width of 6 nanometers. New in the entry-level class: Even here, a 5G modem will be standard equipment in the future, and Wifi 5 must be sufficient for close range.
The first smartphones with the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 are expected this year, and the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 should be ready in the first quarter of 2023, as Qualcomm announces. Concrete models are not yet in sight. With Motorola, a first company has announced that it will use the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, with the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 the Indian company IQOO was the first to venture out of the corner. However, its smartphones are not officially offered in Western Europe.
