All fans of this type of electronics are waiting for the release of a new processor for smartphones. It would seem that this is something that most of us will never even see, but it is this “invisible fighter” that makes all our favorite applications work as intended by their creators. Chips become more and more efficient every year. We are wondering if they can be even more powerful, and every time we are surprised when it turns out that they can. This time, we again have reason to be surprised, because the new Snapdragon will not only be more productive than the previous one as usual, but it may even be made using new technology that promises us even more benefits. In general, they say that they have already begun to produce it. Let's figure it out, because you can't do without us.
Qualcomm processors are updated once a year. What awaits us this year?
When will the new Snapdragon 875 be produced?
According to information from China, the new Qualcomm processors have already begun production. If this is true, then it will be announced in the very near future. According to analysts, this could happen before the end of 2020. I'd like to add that if the chips are already being produced, their presentation will take place long before the end of the year. After all, they have appeared in recent years no later than December, so there is nothing surprising in such a forecast.
Much has already been said about the characteristics of the new chipset, but now it is much more interesting that it is already on its way, because only a presentation or an official announcement can confirm or deny all the rumors that appeared earlier.
Who makes Snapdragon processors
A Taiwanese semiconductor company, better known as TSMC, will be responsible for the production of the new chipset, and it will be built on a 5nm process technology. Of course, the 875 will be paired with a 5G modem, which is likely to be a Qualcomm Snapdragon X60.
This company makes processors for a lot of people.
The production capacity for the production of 5nm chips at the TSMC plant has been increased over the past month by 10 percent – to almost 60,000 units. According to various estimates, Qualcomm will need between six and ten thousand waffles (a stock that includes many processor chips) per month. Judging by these figures, everything will be fine with orders from TSMC in the near future.
Rumors about the new chip are codenamed SM8350. This will not tell us anything significant, but there is such information. Maybe you will need it. One thing is for sure – the new product will be more powerful than its predecessor – Snapdragon 865.
Processor Features Qualcomm Snapdragon 875
Last year's processor was built according to the “1 + 3 + 4” scheme. This means that it splits data processing tasks across three sets of cores. The first and most powerful is the 2.84 GHz Cortex-A77 core. In tandem, three cores with a frequency of 2.4 GHz (Cortex-A77) and four cores with a frequency of 1.8 GHz (Cortex-A55) work with it.
The Snapdragon 875 is expected to have a similar structure. Perhaps we will even see the embodiment of recent rumors. According to them, Qualcomm is working with smartphone manufacturers to develop a new Cortex-X1 architecture. It will not only become more efficient, but will also allow manufacturers to more flexibly adapt it to themselves, as it does Apple.
So far, Snapdragon is inferior to chips from Apple.
The ARM Cortex-X1 delivers up to 30 percent higher peak performance than previous designs, and the additional use of three Cortex-A78 cores can improve overall processor performance by about 20 percent. At the same time, four Cortex-A55 cores will continue to be responsible for energy efficiency, which will be used to perform less demanding tasks.
The Snapdragon 875 is expected to be paired with the Adreno 665 VPU and Adreno 1095 DPU. To work in the network, the chip will include a modem supporting 3G, 4G and 5G standards. As mentioned above, the Snapdragon X60 chip 5G will be responsible for this. It should also have support for mmWave and sub-6 GHz technologies to provide a faster and more stable connection.
In terms of audio, Qualcomm will presumably offer a low-power audio subsystem. It will become Aqstic Audi o Technologies WCD9380.
First Snapdragon 875 smartphone
Despite the fact that the chip may be presented in the very near future, it is not worth expecting that it will be ready for one of the next high-profile announcements. Manufacturers still have to build their entire system around it. Most likely, the novelty will appear in real smartphones not earlier than next year, and one of the first devices with it on board will be the new generation of the Samsung Galaxy S line.
When smartphones will be released on the new processor is not yet clear
So far, we can expect the chip to be presented around September this year. This means that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 will definitely not receive it unless it postpones the announcement, which is highly unlikely. But other rumors that the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will receive a Snapdragon 865 Plus processor may be confirmed.
The new processor is very interesting in itself, even regardless of which smartphone it will be installed in. The performance of modern chips is already enough, but the new architecture is really cool. It's especially interesting how manufacturers can take advantage of this. This is truly a new level in the industry.