Qualcomm announces the Snapdragon 865, a beast of a chip coming in 2020
This year takes 5G to 11.
- Qualcomm is announcing two new high-end chips at its Tech Summit in Maui, Hawaii.
- The Snapdragon 865 is the flagship chip that will debut in the Galaxy S11.
- There's also a Snapdragon 765 and 765G on deck, with integrated 5G.
- We'll know more about these chips tomorrow, December 4.
Qualcomm is roaring into 2020 with a bunch of new announcements, including two major SoCs that it hopes will put it in good stead against Apple, Huawei, and, surprisingly, MediaTek going into the new year.
The main piece on the agenda is the Snapdragon 865, which comes standard with the X55 5G chip announced earlier this year. The upside is that while the Snapdragon 865 will support 5G, it's not on-die the way the Snapdragon 855 and previous Qualcomm chips have LTE built into the chip itself. Instead, manufacturers will need to add 5G separately using the X55 modem if they want to, adding heat and making their phones less battery efficient.
ere's what the company is saying:
Alex Katouzian, senior vice president and general manager, mobile, Qualcomm Technologies, unveiled two new 5G Snapdragon Mobile Platforms to lead and scale 5G and AI in 2020. The flagship Snapdragon 865 Mobile Platform, which includes the Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System, is the world's most advanced 5G platform, delivering unmatched connectivity and performance for the next generation of flagship devices. The Snapdragon 765/765G brings integrated 5G connectivity, advanced AI processing, and select Snapdragon Elite Gaming experiences. Full platform details will be shared tomorrow."
Yes, there's also a mid-range 5G chip for the first time, the Snapdragon 765 and its gaming-focused counterpart, the 765G. Both are aimed at Asian markets where price is more of a factor, but it's likely some North American and European phones will see the lower-priced 765 series as well. This is the first Qualcomm chip with on-die 5G, meaning it should actually be much more thermally efficient than the Snapdragon 865, but its other features - CPU, GPU, ISP, DSP - are not as advanced as that of the 865.
We'll know more about the new Snapdragon SoCs tomorrow, December 4, but in the meantime, you can stream Qualcomm's three-day Snapdragon Summit, which is being held in Maui, Hawaii, live starting at 9am HST / 11am PT / 2pm ET.