Qualcomm introduces next gen flagship chipset

Qualcomm is the world’s largest chip manufacturer for the android world. Following the last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, the company introduced the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. Which focused on improving the efficiency of the SoC. Now Qualcomm has launched the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 which will be available in the upcoming flagship phones from various manufacturers.

When will smartphones with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 launch?

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will be available in most of the flagship smartphones coming later this year and the first half of 2023. Most of the major manufacturers including Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi and more will launch their high end smartphones powered by this SoC.

While there is no clear date, OnePlus and Samsung are among the first to come up with flagship phones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The OnePlus 11 series is expected to be launched by December 2022 while the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S23 series is expected to launch in Q1 of 2023.

Improvements and New Features

Other than the generational improvements to CPU and GPU, Snapdragon 8 gen 2 has a whole suite of new and improved features compared to its predecessor.

CPU

The new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 brings an interesting change in the layout of the cores. Instead of using the typical 1+3+4 layout, Qualcomm has opted for a 1+4+3 layout. This means that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will feature one Prime core paired with four Performance ores and three Efficiency cores. Compared to the Gen 1, Qualcomm states that the 8 Gen 2 will have up to 35 per cent better CPU performance.

GPU

Not many details are being shared by Qualcomm regarding the new Adreno GPU. it is expected that the new GPU will feature up to 25 per cent better performance while simultaneously being up to 45 per cent more efficient. The new GPU also supports Vulkan 1.3 and has Ray Tracing support baked into it. The new SoC is capable of driving QHD+ displays at 144 Hz or 4K displays at 60 Hz.

Cameras

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 can support three 36 MP cameras simultaneously or a single 200 MP camera. 108 Mp camera support is also improved with zero shutter lag. In the video department, the new chip can record 8K videos at 30 fps or 4K videos at 120 Hz. there is also slow motion support for 720p videos up to 960 fps. It supports multiple HDR formats including HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision. With a DOL sensor, you can record up to 4 exposures per video frame.

Connectivity

The new chipset is paired with a new Snapdragon X70 modem which supports both sub-6Ghz and mmWave 5G. The modem also supports WiFi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3 standards for ultrafast and reliable wireless connections.

AI

With the new chip, Qualcomm claims 4.35 times AI performance improvements. It also promises 60% better performance per Watt than its predecessors.