Mobile chip manufacturer Qualcomm has announced the introduction of three new Snapdragon processors today. The Snapdragon 653, 626 and 426 are all focused on high-volume, high-performance mobile devices.
The 600 now supports dual camera functionality, bringing crisper photos at a lower price point. All three support Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology, which delivers a four-times faster charge.
Snapdragon 600 and 400 Features
On of the big focuses of the new chipsets is support for a range of modem features. According to Qualcomm, the following new functions increase network capacity and throughputs:
- “X9 LTE, with Cat 7 downlink speeds up to 300Mbps, and Cat 13 uplink speeds up to 150Mbps, designed to provide users with a 50 percent increase in maximum uplink speeds over the X8 LTE modem.
- LTE Advanced Carrier Aggregation with up to 2×20 MHz in the downlink and uplink
- Support for 64-QAM in the uplink
- Superior call clarity and higher call reliability with the Enhanced Voice Services (EVS) codec on VoLTE calls.”
As you would expect, the three differ in performance. The Snapdragon 652 was an attractive chip in the mid-level range, found in the Galaxy A9 and HTC 10. The 653 doubles its RAM support, from 4GB up to 8GB. It also increases CPU and GPU performance, resulting in a better user experience.
Qualcomm’s 626 processor also has performance improvements over its predecessor, though less dramatic. CPU performance is better, and Qualcomm TruSignal support will boost coverage in cities.
Manufacturers use the 400 line in entry-level devices. The 427 has better GPU and CPU performance and also brings TruSignal to the chipsets.
The new chips will bring a significant performance increase to lower-end phones. According to vice president of product management Alex Katouzian, this was always the plan:
“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 other Snapdragon products,” he says. “A great example of this strategy is the use of dual camera for capturing high quality photos that now range across our portfolio, including our 400 series mobile solution. Doing this allows our customers and smartphone developers to reach a broad subscriber base with advanced features and great end-user experiences.”
The new 600 chipsets will launch in late 2016, with the 427 following early next year.
