Latest Qualcomm flagship mobile platform uses AI to power camera, connectivity, gaming, security and sound
Editor’s note: Qualcomm provided travel, lodging and other accommodations associated with the Snapdragon Summit.
MAUI—At its annual Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm today unveiled its latest flagship SoC, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 which leverages AI to enhance key smartphone experiences, including camera, connectivity, gaming, security and sound. To the connectivity piece, branded as Snapdragon Connect, Qualcomm noted a world’s first 5G AI mobile platform processor, as well as the only commercial Wi-Fi 7 solution that uses High Band Simultaneous Multi-Link.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 uses the X70 5G Modem-RF System and uses AI to improve 5G download and upload speeds, coverage, latency and power efficiency. Additionally, the 8 Gen 2 features 5G+5G/4G Dual-SIM Dual-Active meaning the handset can support two SIMs, 4G and 5G or 5G and 5G, without the need to physically swap the cards. The FastConnect 7800 sub-system contains the most advanced Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. Of note, Wi-Fi 7 High Band Simultaneous Multi-Link, similar to carrier aggregation in a cellular network, allows a device to alternate between the 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands to improve peak speeds and lower congestion as compared to operation in the 2.4 GHz band.
Expect to see commercial devices with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 by the end of the year. Qualcomm noted deals with OEMs ASUS, HONOR, iQOO, Motorola, nubia, OnePlus, OPPO, REDMAGIC, Redmi, SARHP, Sony, vivo, Xiaomi, XINGJI/MEIZU, and ZTE.
Qualcomm’s Chris Patrick, SVP and GM of Mobile Handsets, said in a statement that the 8 Gen 2 “delivers groundbreaking AI, unparalleled connectivity, and champion-level gameplay, enabling consumers to enhance every experience on their most trusted device.”
To his point around mobile gaming, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powers new Snapdragon Elite Gaming features like hardware-accelerated ray tracing. The Adreno GPU is 25% faster than its predecessor and the Kryo CPU is 40% more power efficient than the 8 Gen 1.
On the camera front, branded Snapdragon Sight, the 8 Gen 2 uses an AI neural network to add contextual awareness to the ISP; “faces, facial features, hair, clothes, skies and more—and optimize them individually so every detail receives customized professional image tuning.”
The Snapdragon Secure suite baked into the 8 Gen 2 covers “isolation, cryptography, key management, attestation, and more—all intricately designed to protect users’ data and privacy.”
The audio details of 8 Gen 2, called Snapdragon Sound, supports spatial audio with dynamic head-tracking “for complete surround-sound immersion,” and also delivers 48 KH lossless streaming audio. For gaming, Snapdragon Sound features 48 millisecond latency and “a built-in voice backchannel for crystal-clear communication to and from other players.”
