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Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 888 yesterday, lifting the veil of what will be an undisputed high-end selling success. Xiaomi, Oppo and other brands jumped into the spotlight to announce SoC support, even before we knew all the details. However, Qualcomm itself has revealed the details of the Snapdragon 888 in all its glory.
Starting with the CPU, which is always my favorite part, the Snapdragon 888 is the first chip with the new ARM Cortex-X1. There is a single core, which offers double the cache and 33% more capacity than the equally new Cortex-A78. At 2.84 GHz, the Cortex-X1 should be the ultimate power reserve for when tasks really call for it.
It is supported by three 2.4GHz Cortex-A78 cores which, by themselves, also offer a vast improvement over the current Cortex-A77. Finally, the most uninteresting point is that we continue to rely on the Cortex A55 as centers of efficiency. ARM itself appears to be focused on increasing maximum capacity to compete with Apple’s Bionic chips. With 5nm lithography, the Snapdragon 888 offers 25% more power than the Snapdragon 865, despite consuming 25% less power.
A big news is that the new controller included in the Snapdragon 888 focuses on LPDDR5 RAM and also supports the new 3200MHz memory. This is significant, because both the Snapdragon 865 and the new Apple A14 have remained loyal to the LPDDR4X, so if Qualcomm’s confidence in the new RAM technology pays off, the Snapdragon 888 can offer new high-end Android arguments.
The processor is accompanied by new graphics, in the form of the Adreno 660 that promises 35% more capacity, but an even greater increase in performance with artificial intelligence, or 43%. In addition to the ability to play at 144fps, the Adreno 660 introduces something that is already well known to PC and console gamers: Variable Rate Shading, or VRS.
VRS technology allows you to work with blocks of pixels instead of one by one, virtually saving resources without suffering the final result. Here the option could be to save on battery power or have a power reserve for really demanding games.
To further improve gaming performance, Game Quick Touch technology reduces touch latency by 20%.
Other important points in the tricks that the Adreno 660 has up its sleeve are 10-bit HDR and compensation for the Mura effect on OLED panels, when the pixels have an uneven calibration.
Triple ISP for photos and videos
For the first time, Qualcomm uses a triple ISP for image processing, allowing it to process three cameras simultaneously, for example being able to shoot three 4K videos simultaneously. But the most noticeable effect will be a better transition between focal lengths: with each camera equipped with its own ISP, the transition from wide angle to ultra wide angle will be possible smoothly. As we have already mentioned, the new capacities reach 2.7 GP per second, so we will be able to capture 120 frames per second in 12 MP images, which is impressive.
A big leap in artificial intelligence
This year, the growth of the next generation of Snapdragon has happened not only in raw power, but also in artificial intelligence. Qualcomm has proudly mobilized the new Hexagon 780 which, together with the added power of the Adreno 660, reaches 26 TOPS, crazy if we think that the Snapdragon 865 has reached 15 TOPS.
Even in times when the smartphone is in power saving mode, we will have access to the advantages of artificial intelligence thanks to the new Sensing Hub that spends only 1mA, and still manages to perform simpler tasks without using Hexagon.
Artificial intelligence also comes to photography. It will be the first time that autofocus and exposure are controlled by artificial intelligence, allowing for faster and better focusing.
Connectivity and security
Well connectivity is obviously a focal point of the Snapdragon 888. With an integrated Snapdragon X60 offering 5G connectivity in the sub-6 and mmWave spectra.
But Snapdragon 888 is also the first processor compatible with the Content Authenticity Initiative, which allows you to capture images that are encrypted and encrypted against manipulation.
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