Recently, Qualcomm finally announced its next-generation mobile chipset, the Snapdragon 888. The chip is promised to power many up-coming Android phones and bring many cool features to the table. Wait no more, here are the 5 reasons to be excited about the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888.
Faster Performance & Smoother gaming
According to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 888 chip can offer 35% faster graphics rendering and 20% better power efficiency than its predecessor. Meanwhile, the Kryo 680 CPU allows up to 25% performance uplift. And, its processor, which is based on the ARM Cortex-X1, also increases clock speed up to 2.84GHz. As a result, we will have a powerful chip that can handle graphics-intensive mobile games and cut down significantly on loading times.
On top of that, the 144Hz displays and 144fps gaming are finally made possible by the new Adreno 660 GPU. Also, another new feature is “Qualcomm Game Quick Touch”, which improves the touch response time for a better gaming experience. In fact, Qualcomm said the response time has been improved by 10% at 120fps, 15% at 90fps, and 20% at 60fps when compared to its previous chip.
Additionally, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 also supports Xbox Cloud Streaming, Google Stadia, and Amazon Luna, ensuring its smartphones are well-prepared in the game streaming market. Plus, Call of Duty Mobile, Fortnite, and PUBG were all mentioned during the launch. So, we might see some special improvements to those games on Android phones soon.
Better Camera & Image Processing
There’s good news for mobile photographers, as the Snapdragon 888 chipset brings with it tons of new camera features. One of the main improvements is the triple ISP (image signal processor), which supports triple concurrency on cameras.
Basically, that means smartphones with the Snapdragon 888 will be able to capture three streams of 4K HDR video simultaneously. For example, you can record from two rear cameras and a front camera all at the same time. But, it doesn’t stop there! You can take advantage of your triple photo capture to edit multiple videos on one device too.
This ability also allows three cameras to run at once in the background. Even when you’re only using one, it can still instantly switch between them. So, no more delays when swapping between ultra-wide and telephoto now!
There are other new features like capturing 120 photos in one second and improved low-light photography (down to 0.1 lux). And, there’s support for 10-bit HDR HEIF photo and video capture as well. This allows you to take photos in over one billion shades of color.
In addition, smartphones with the Snapdragon 888 will also have the option to enable 4K video capture and playback at 120fps, while computational HDR video capture allows for recording with extreme dynamic range. This will help not just for video recording, but also for video calls.
5G and Connectivity
As you might expect, the Snapdragon 888 still supports 5G. But, the technique is a little different than last year and that might impact other things. The new Snapdragon 888 chipset features Qualcomm’s latest X60 5G modem, which can offer better connectivity and enhance mmWave support.
On top of that, with the addition of X60 5G modem, Qualcomm can make the chip a little cheaper for manufacturing. But, more importantly, it should cut down on space inside the phone and that might allow for a larger battery or other components.
In perfect condition, the X60 can deliver download speeds of up to 7.5Gbps. Not to mention the chip comes with full connectivity and its FastConnect 6900 system also offers Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.2 support.
Better AI Performance
Powered by the Hexagon 780 Processor, which offers up to a 50% performance gain, 2x compute capacity, and a 3x performance-per-watt improvement over its predecessor, the next-generation AI is finally here with Qualcomm Snapdragon 888.
Qualcomm has decided to combine the CPU, GPU and DSP capabilities in this chip. And, the company said it will offer a 3x improvement in AI performance per watt. Plus, the Snapdragon 888 is able to process 26 TOPS (trillion operations per second) of overall AI compute vs 15 TOPS on the 865 chip. That means Snapdragon-driven phones will be able to perform more tasks and more quickly. During the showcase, the company showed off what Snapchat can do with its new Snapdragon-powered AI.
AI improvements can help in all aspects of your smartphone usage, from checking the news, autofocus, and exposure in camera apps to monitoring surrounding noise.
Improved Battery Life
With efficiency enhancements from its CPU and processor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 is promised to provide significantly better battery life. Here’s what Qualcomm claimed about its new chip efficiency:
- Eight-core Kryo 680 CPU is 25% more power-efficient.
- Hexagon 780 Processor provides a 3x performance per watt improvement.
- Adreno 660 GPU is 20% more power-efficient than the previous generation graphics unit.
However, we can’t say exactly how much more power you’ll be able to get from your phone, as the new chip is not out yet.
Snapdragon 888 Release Date
The first Snapdragon 888 phones are expected to go on sale in Q1 2021. On top of that, Qualcomm has already confirmed a number of manufacturers that will use the chip in their upcoming devices. These include Asus, BlackShark, Lenovo, LG, Meizu, Motorola, Nubia, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo, Sharp, Vivo, Xiaomi, and ZTE.
Even though both Sony and Samsung aren’t on the above list, that doesn’t mean those companies won’t support the chip on their new phones in 2021.
The Bottom Line
Originally, we expected the next top-end Qualcomm chip would be called Snapdragon 875. However, the company has instead changed its naming structure to the Snapdragon 888. That is probably because the company believes the number 8 has always been a special number for Snapdragon.
Overall, we’re very impressed with what Qualcomm Snapdragon can do. However, we still need to run a few tests in order to see if Qualcomm’s claims come good as promised.
What do you expect the most from the Snapdragon 888 chip? Do you think it will beat out the A14 Bionic chip? Let us know what you think about the new Snapdragon 888 in the comments!
