As expected, Qualcomm has lifted the veil on its new batch of smartphone processors. With the long-awaited Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, the American presents the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1. A new name for a more powerful SoC.
The Snapdragon 7 platform has always been synonymous with the bridge between the mid and high end at Qualcomm. Slower than the 8-series Snapdragons, but also less expensive, the 7-signed chips are therefore found in two categories of smartphones: the high-end, but also the mid-range. Devices whose prices are generally between 600 and 800 €, and which can therefore afford to offer excellent performance for a more contained price than premium mobiles.
It is therefore an important chip for Qualcomm, which cannot be satisfied with the minimum service in terms of optimization. The whole new series thus adopts a new name. A crucial step that allows it to stand out from the rest of the range, and gives it an even more premium appearance, since it adopts the nomenclature of the most efficient series of the foundry (the 8 and 8+ Gen 1). Qualcomm also announces the arrival of three new products, which are therefore making their debut on this type of SoC. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 can thus detect faces more easily thanks to the deep learningmanage photo sensors of up to 200 megapixels and finally is certified Android Ready SE.
Triple ISP, improved 5G modem and increased performance
Let’s start with the simplest. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 is necessarily more powerful than its predecessor, the Snapdragon 778G – which was already very powerful. With its new GPU, the Adreno 662, this new SoC is announced to be 20% more efficient than the old one. When it comes to AI-related tasks, the new platform is 30% more efficient than the Snapdragon 778G, according to Qualcomm. The addition of the Adreno Frame Motion Engine allows, indicates the founder, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 to double the frame rate into play, without doubling its energy consumption. A great promise when you know that the Snapdragon 778G was good in this area, where the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is on the contrary struggling.
The additional 30% power will not be too much for the technology of deep learning face detect included this year. Qualcomm specifies that it allows the various photo modules to better manage autofocus, even when the target is wearing a mask. Still on the subject of mobile photography, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 can handle 200 megapixel sensors or allow equipped smartphones to be able to capture with all three modules at the same time. On the video side, it is indicated that the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 supports capture up to 4K HDR.
To top it off, the new chipsets from Qualcomm integrates a better 5G modem, the Snapdragon X62 5G Modem-RF System, delivering speeds of up to 4.4 Gbps. It supports 6E wifi, as well as Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.
The first appearances shortly
Qualcomm specifies that the first manufacturers to turn to the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 should be known in the second quarter of this year, that is to say before the end of June. Recall that Oppo will present its Reno 8 series on May 23, and it’s a safe bet that the new chip will be included. It should also equip the next models of Honor or Xiaomi.