After a ton of leaks and rumours, Qualcomm finally announced the Snapdragon 855 SoC. The Snapdragon 855 codenamed 8150 was hyped up solely for how well it’ll integrate 5G capabilities into a chip which could land on a fingertip but the SoC itself is much more than that. The 855 is going to be replacing the previous 845 SoC in almost every flagship Android phone thanks to its amazing performance and features.
01| The CPU
As we dive deeper we notice how Qualcomm has done a spectacular job when it comes to raw CPU power. The Snapdragon 855 has the same number of cores but offer better performance with lower power consumption thanks to the 7nm architecture and the new layout. Qualcomm stated that instead of having 4 high performance and 4 high efficiency cores the 855 has a “Prime Core” which is even better than the high-performance cores and takes up tasks with ease and without bothering the other cores. The CPU clock speed is still up to the 2.8 GHz mark while maintaining efficiency and allowing performance never seen before. Qualcomm claims that the new 855 is 45% faster than the last generation which is certainly credible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nev55ymBJGo
02| The GPU
The GPU of the SoC is the Adreno™ 640 GPU which offers a credible but mere 20% improvement over last year’s Adreno 630 and now players will be able to play PUBG Mobile without any compromise. One of the neat features of the new Snapdragon 855 is that Qualcomm has paid special attention to HDR features and the GPU for the first time supports real-time HDR gaming. With the market for gaming smartphones increasing Qualcomm has noted that and now is in active works of what they call the “Snapdragon Elite Gaming Experience”. In the program, developers will work actively on technologies to provide quality gaming experience and to reduce frame rate drops and jitters up to 90%. Qualcomm has once again focussed a lot on providing a gaming experience like never before.
03| AI & Camera
The AI technologies integrated into the chip are definitely worth noting. Qualcomm brings their 4th generation AI engine to a whole new level by adding a ton of new features. The new AI is undoubtedly the most advanced form seen in any chip with neat features bringing software management and optimizations to a new level. The chip has a new set of powerful features including improvement of images such as upgrading the resolution, reducing noise and much more. The AI allows the Camera to reach new milestones by processing more accurate images and bringing real-time object mapping. For the first time ever, users will be able to record 4k HDR videos at 60 frames per second. The new HEIF format will allow users to store large chunks of data without compromising space. The format will significantly reduce file sizes which is always a good thing. One more thing to note here is that for the first time users will be able to record 4K HDR videos at 60fps even in portrait mode. It is clear that Qualcomm has done its homework and all these neat features will definitely attract a plethora of manufacturers.
04| 5G
As far as 5G is concerned, we’ve heard a lot about the technology being able to revolutionize the modern concept of networking. The Snapdragon 855 with the help of the X55G modem brings insane speeds which will allow users to download huge files in a matter of seconds. This also opens up the streaming concept which is acquired by most brands. 4K video streaming and downloading will happen almost instantly but we’ll need to wait for 3rd party manufacturers to actually support the technology. Furthermore, Qualcomm has decided to boost their chipset’s WiFi capabilities from 802.11 AC to 802.11 AY which will allow a whopping 10 Gbps to flow which with respect to the previous 3.5 Gbps limit.
05| Extra Features
Extra features include special unique security features such as the 3D Sonic Sensor technology which will work through a 2D fingerprint on a screen to a 3D image and then process it to ensure top of the line security. This technology will further improve the under display finger scanning technologies we have today. Moreover, the 855 will completely support XR capabilities like never before. The new chip as stated will be more than capable to showcase the highest quality of XR experiences which will certainly be interesting.
