Qualcomm has started distributing invitations for a launch event hosted exclusively online and lasting for two days. Most likely, it is about Snapdragon 875, the top chipset ready for the next generation of high-end phones.
According to rumors so far, Snapdragon 875 will be the first Qualcomm SoC to use the 5nm manufacturing process. The processor configuration is expected to include at least one high-performance Cortex-X1 core, three Cortex-A78 cores, and four Cortex-A55 cores. The chip will be produced by Samsung.
Snapdragon 875 – top performance, but with a price to match
Given the chosen configuration and manufacturing technology, the new chipset should be about 20% more efficient in terms of power consumption than its predecessor Snapdragon 865, while offering performance by about 10% higher. In practice, it remains to be seen exactly what level of optimization has been chosen, Qualcomm can optimize either for battery life or gross performance, if the anticipated competition is strong enough.
For now, it is unclear whether the manufacturer will use the launch event to announce other chipset models. Apparently, Qualcomm is also working on a 6nm chipset – Snapdragon 775G, which will succeed Snapdragon 765G in the mid-range segment. Also from rumors we find out about a possible entry-level chipset, made using the 5 nm manufacturing process.
According to information obtained from unofficial sources, Android phones based on Snapdragon 875 will deliver superior performance to the iPhone 12 alternative, but with a price. The same sources show that the solution proposed by Qualcomm will be considerably more expensive than the custom-designed chipset used by Apple, which means that manufacturers of high-end Android-based phones will have less budget for related features such as screen and cameras Photo.
Another possible consequence could simply be to avoid the top of the Qualcomm range, to the detriment of solutions with an intermediate level of performance, or alternatives such as the Exynos series proposed by Samsung.
Juana loves to cover the tech and gaming industry, she always stays on the first row of CES conference and reports live from there.