Qualcomm has unveiled its next generation of mobile processor, the Snapdragon 800, at CES 2013.
Whilst the company unveiled a range of new processors, including the lower power Snapdragon 600, Snapdragon 400 and Snapdragon 200, it’s the Snapdragon 800 that really pushes things forward.
Along with the recently announced Nvidia Tegra 4 chip, we’re getting a tantalising glimpse at the next generation of smartphone performance.
Here’s how the Snapdragon 800 shapes up.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Specs
Qualcomm claims that the Snapdragon 800 will be 75 per cent faster than the outgoing quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro, which can be found powering the likes of the Google Nexus 4.
The Snapdragon 800 retains a quad-core architecture, but moves to a much smaller 28nm manufacturing process. This will result in a quicker and more power-efficient chip. This processor will be able to reach clock speeds of up to 2.3GHz.
Married to the CPU will be the new Adreno 330 GPU, which promises double the graphical performance of the Adreno 320 in the Snapdragon S4.
It’ll also move to 800MHz LPDDR3 RAM, which will increase bandwidth to 12.8GB/s. This means there’ll be no bottleneck between the memory and the processor, leading to super-snappy response times.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Video and Audio
In terms of real world applications of this technology, the headline feature has to be the Snapdragon 800’s ability to capture, play back and display Ultra High Definition (UHD) or 4K video.
That’s four times the resolution of current 1080p smartphone video capture standards, and all done at 60fps.
In addition, the Snapdragon 800 will be able to record HD multichannel audio with DTS-HD and Dolby Digital Plus.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Launch and Availability
Qualcomm claims that the Snapdragon 800 is currently sampling, and it anticipates that it will be in devices on the shelves by the mid-point of 2013.
What do you make of the Snapdragon 800, as well as the Tegra 4? Do we need such power in our mobile devices, or is this simply a case of technological one-upmanship from chip developers? Let us know via the Trusted Reviews Twitter and Facebook feeds, or through the comments box below.
Via: Qualcomm
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
