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Qualcomm announces Snapdragon 888, its new high-end chip with 5G modem for Android phones. The new chip supports many types of 5G networks, improved graphics performance, and improved AI capabilities for things like facial and image recognition.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 will be the main processor that will equip next year’s high-end smartphones. Qualcomm said phone makers, including Xiaomi, Oppo, and Motorola, are already planning to use the recently announced Snapdragon 888.
Qualcomm is the leading provider of processors for Android devices, similar to Intel’s previous dominance as the best processor for Windows PCs. Qualcomm is competing with smartphone makers like Apple, Samsung and Huawei, who develop their own smartphone chips, as well as Asian chip makers like MediaTek, but there is no question about their dominance in the industry.
5G integrated
Qualcomm has integrated its third generation 5G modem with the Snapdragon 888, which represents a great evolution compared to its predecessor, which needed to integrate the 5G Modem. In this new processor, the Qualcomm X60 5G modem is already integrated and other novelties include different 5G bandwidths.
Integration uses less energy and is easier for manufacturers to implement. The 5G modem can also “aggregate” multiple carrier bandwidth bands to create a more reliable connection.
More powerful hardware for artificial intelligence
In recent years, the design has gone beyond clock speeds and number of cores. Instead, chip makers like Qualcomm are focusing on adding specific hardware for the functions a smartphone needs, such as using artificial intelligence software to perform tasks like imaging or facial recognition. The Snapdragon 888 has the new Hexagon 780 artificial intelligence processor built in, which Qualcomm claims to run 50% faster than last year.
According to Qualcomm Vice President Alex Katouzian, the processor handles 26 billion operations per second, or TOPS, and can be used to automate advanced photo settings or recognize depths, faces and objects. While it’s up to phone makers to design additional hardware and customize software to make it possible, Qualcomm says its chip can support HDR video recording, for example.
Adreno GPU for better games
The Qualcomm 888 has an integrated graphics processor (called Adreno 660) which, according to the company, will improve graphics by 35%. OnePlus claims that with the new processor it can run Fortnite, a popular mobile shooter, at 90fps, a common benchmark for gaming performance.
Qualcomm is investing heavily in its processors so that consumers have access to the best mobile performance possible. Qualcomm is working with Tencent, one of the largest game makers, and provides specific drivers so that gaming products can optimize their games and achieve the best possible performance, Katouzian said. Another new feature, Quick Touch, can shrink the touchscreen while gaming.
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