Snapdragon SoC guide: All of Qualcomm’s smartphone processors explained!

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors are probably the most ubiquitous SoCs within the Android smartphone area. Samsung uses Snapdragon for its Galaxy S line within the US and Korea, and it also powers units from LG, OnePlus, and primarily every OEM making flagship-grade phones that doesn’t also make its own silicon. There’s a really excessive probability that you simply’re reading this on a device utilizing a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor right now.
Snapdragon chips aren’t just found in costly flagship smartphones although. There’s an entire portfolio of processors constructed for handsets at numerous worth points. Performance and options differ a good bit between these models, so let’s break down how the corporate’s newest SoCs examine and what capabilities it is best to anticipate.
Snapdragon 800 collection — Premium tier
In search of the easiest Qualcomm smartphone processor? Then you definitely want the Snapdragon 865, the agency’s latest and strongest chipset. Very similar to its predecessor, the new chipset sports activities a tri-cluster semi-custom CPU association, that includes one highly effective 2.84Ghz Cortex-A77 core, three less highly effective however still very capable 2.4Ghz Cortex-A77 cores, and four low-powered however environment friendly Cortex-A55 cores. Qualcomm’s Adreno graphics hardware additionally tends to steer the business when it comes to sheer energy and capabilities, and the 865’s Adreno 650 continues that development.
| & | Snapdragon 865 | Snapdragon 855 Plus | Snapdragon 855 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 1x 2.84GHz Kryo 585 (Cortex A77) 3x 2.4GHz Kryo 585 (Cortex A77) 4x 1.8GHz Kryo 585 (Cortex-A55) |
1x 2.96GHz Kryo 485 (Cortex A76) 3x 2.42GHz Kryo 485 (Cortex A76) 4x 1.8GHz Kryo 485 (Cortex-A55) |
1x 2.84GHz Kryo 485 (Cortex A76) 3x 2.42GHz Kryo 485 (Cortex A76) 4x 1.8GHz Kryo 485 (Cortex-A55) |
| GPU | Adreno 650 | Adreno 640 | Adreno 640 |
| DSP | Hexagon 698 | Hexagon 690 | Hexagon 690 |
| Modem | X55 5G & RF system 7500 Mbps down 3000 Mbps up |
X24 LTE 2000 Mbps down 316 Mbps up |
X24 LTE 2000 Mbps down 316 Mbps up |
| Cameras | 200MP single / 64MP single with Zero Shutter Lag 24MP dual digital camera Hybrid AF, HDR video, multi-frame noise reduction |
48MP single / 24MP twin Hybrid AF, HDR video, multi-frame noise discount 192MP snapshot |
48MP single / 24MP twin Hybrid AF, HDR video, multi-frame noise discount 192MP snapshot |
| Quick Cost | four+ | four+ | four+ |
| Bluetooth | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.1 |
| Course of | 7nm FinFET | 7nm FinFET | 7nm FinFET |
The 800 collection is Qualcomm’s flagship tier and, up till 2018’s Snapdragon 845, used a cluster of highly effective cores and a cluster of power-saving cores. But 2019’s Snapdragon 855 collection marked the first time we saw the three-tier system of heavy/medium/mild CPU cores. Qualcomm additionally used to supply closely custom-made CPU cores till the Snapdragon 821 back in 2016. But lately, it uses Arm’s Cortex cores and makes a number of tweaks to them as an alternative.
Nevertheless, the company has invested heavily in different bits of silicon in its chipsets, such because the GPUs, modems, and image signal processors for cameras. Talking of digital camera know-how, that is Qualcomm’s first chipset to help 8K video recording, becoming a member of Samsung’s Exynos 982X collection and Exynos 990.
The business shift to on-device machine studying has additionally seen Qualcomm adapt with its flagship SoCs. It uses the top-end Hexagon digital sign processor for these tasks, with the Snapdragon 865’s Hexagon 698 DSP additionally featuring an upgraded “Tensor” accelerator that’s 35% extra power-efficient than the Snapdragon 855’s ML-focused silicon.
In plain English, meaning machine learning duties like face detection, image recognition, natural language processing, and other actions ought to eat far much less energy. Actually, Qualcomm also stated that the Snapdragon 865 is able to on-device voice translation.
The Snapdragon 865 can also be 5G-enabled, supporting both mmWave and sub-6Ghz requirements. It’s not the first 5G flagship chipset from the model although, as final yr’s Snapdragon 855 collection additionally provided next-generation connectivity. Both the 855 collection and the 865 supply external 5G modems though, in contrast to some rivals. This usually means more energy consumption in comparison with a processor with an built-in 5G modem.
Qualcomm isn’t the only firm making flagship processors, with rival chipsets including the Samsung Exynos 990, Huawei’s HiSilicon Kirin 990, and MediaTek’s Dimensity 1000. Nevertheless it’s usually thought-about the highest canine when it comes to features and model identify, although other rivals usually have lots to offer too.
Notable Snapdragon 865 phones
Snapdragon 700 collection — Bridging the hole
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 700 collection isn’t quite as simple as its flagship 800 collection. That is because of the sheer variety of them, as well as the decrease end chips crossing into the 600 collection.
| & | Snapdragon 765/G | Snapdragon 730/G | Snapdragon 720G |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 1x 2.3Ghz Kryo 475 (Cortex-A76) 1x 2.2Ghz Kryo 475 (Cortex-A76) 6x 1.8Ghz Kryo 475 (Cortex-A55) |
2x 2.2GHz Kryo 360 (Cortex-A76) 6x 1.7GHz Kryo 360 (Cortex-A55) |
2x 2.3GHz Kryo 465 (Cortex-A76) 6x 1.8GHz Kryo 465 (Cortex-A55) |
| GPU | Adreno 620 | Adreno 618 | Adreno 618 |
| DSP | Hexagon 696 | Hexagon 688 | Hexagon 692 |
| Modem | Snapdragon X52 5G/LTE 5G - 3700Mbps down, 1600Mbps up |
Snapdragon X15 LTE 800Mbps down, 150Mbps up |
Snapdragon X15 LTE 800Mbps down, 150Mbps up |
| Cameras | 32MP single or 22MP dual 192MP snapshot |
48MP single or 22MP twin 192MP snapshot |
192MP snapshot |
| Fast Charge | four+ | 4+ | four |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.zero | 5.1 |
| Course of | 7nm FinFET | 8nm FinFET | 8nm FinFET |
The Snapdragon 700 collection is actually an upper mid-range household of processors, with the Snapdragon 765 collection being probably the most able to the lot. That is Qualcomm’s first mid-range 5G household, supporting both mmWave and sub-6Ghz flavors of 5G. It additionally provides an analogous triple energy domain CPU design as the flagship processors, albeit in a 1+1+6 format moderately than 1+three+4 seen on the flagship SoCs.
Except for the addition of 5G and a tweaked CPU format, the Snapdragon 765 collection additionally stands out from other 700-series processors as a result of its beefier Adreno 620 GPU. The 765 household additionally sports a tiny 7nm manufacturing processes, on par with flagship chipsets. A smaller manufacturing course of usually means a extra power-efficient design when all the things else is equal.
The Snapdragon 765 collection still has a couple of issues in widespread with the Snapdragon 730 series and Snapdragon 720G, which are subsequent on the totem pole when it comes to power and capabilities. We’ve obtained octa-core CPUs that includes two powerful Cortex-A76 CPUs and six Cortex-A55 cores, and powerful Spectra picture signal processors for high-resolution imaging.
These aren’t the only Snapdragon 700 collection chips, as the collection debuted with 2018’s Snapdragon 710 (with the Snapdragon 712 being a light improve). These two chips still supply a 2+6 CPU core format, but use older Cortex-A75 cores as an alternative of the Cortex-A76 seen in newer 700 collection SoCs. So anticipate the new chipsets to edge out these ones in relation to single-core performance, but you’re still getting good efficiency both method.
The Snapdragon 712 and 710 additionally supply inferior GPUs to the aforementioned stablemates, so gaming performance gained’t be quite as clean. Still, these GPUs are pretty powerful and will be capable of handle most advanced video games nicely sufficient.
The Snapdragon 700 vary may lack the CPU and GPU energy of the flagship Snapdragon 800 family then, however it has a number of options in widespread with the top-end silicon nonetheless. You’re still getting succesful Hexagon DSPs for better machine studying, Quick Charge 4 or 4+ help, and Bluetooth 5.0 or 5.1.
Moreover, all of these aforementioned chipsets help 192MP snapshots, though they prime out at a far decrease decision for multi-frame processing (e.g. HDR, night time mode). You gained’t get 4K/60fps or 8K here both, but 4K at 30fps is principally guaranteed at this tier.
Notable Snapdragon 710, 712, 720G, 730/G, 765/G phones
Snapdragon 600 collection — Worth for cash
The place the Snapdragon 700 collection tries to bridge the hole between mid-range and flagship, the Snapdragon 600 collection is usually targeted on the ~$300 and underneath phase. We are saying “principally,” because the Snapdragon 670 and 675 truly share so much in widespread with the first Snapdragon 700 collection processors (e.g. Snapdragon 710).
The Snapdragon 670 and 675 supply highly effective Cortex-A75 and A76 CPU cores respectively, paired with low-power Cortex-A55 cores. You may as well anticipate strong GPUs (albeit inferior to the 700 collection), Bluetooth 5 help, and Quick Cost 4+ capabilities. The 670 and 675 additionally ship the 700 household’s help for features like 4K recording, 192MP snapshots, and 48MP pictures with multi-frame processing.
Read: How to understand Kryo CPU numbering on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors
Shifting down, we also have the Snapdragon 665, which is a light improvement over 2017’s Snapdragon 660. Each of those chips use much older CPU cores (4 Cortex-A73 paired with four Cortex-A53 cores), and less capable GPUs on paper. So anticipate common performance, gaming, and digital camera performance to lag behind the Snapdragon 670 and 675. The truth is, the Snapdragon 665 and 660 prime out at 48MP snapshot help (i.e. with out multi-frame processing similar to HDR), so don’t maintain your breath for 64MP or 108MP cameras with these processors.
Qualcomm has additionally just lately launched the Snapdragon 662, primarily being a Snapdragon 665 clone with Bluetooth 5.1 capabilities and HEIF help. The latter means better high quality footage with no file measurement improve over earlier formats, or the identical high quality at half the file measurement.
Otherwise, the bread and butter of Qualcomm’s 600-series is the Snapdragon 636 and 632. These processors goal a lower cost level than beforehand mentioned 600-series silicon, and in addition convey huge cores to the table (4 Cortex-A73 and four Cortex-A53). The 636 still gives a quick modem and Fast Charge four, which the Snapdragon 632 lacks. Both approach, each of these chips use Adreno 500-series GPUs, making them much less adept at gaming than newer Snapdragon 600 collection chips.
| & | Snapdragon 636 | Snapdragon 632 | Snapdragon 439 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 4x 1.8GHz Kryo 260 (Cortex-A73) 4x 1.6GHz Kryo 260 (Cortex-A53) |
4x 1.8GHz Kryo 250 (Cortex-A73) 4x 1.8GHz Kryo 250 (Cortex-A53) |
4x 1.95GHz Cortex-A53 4x 1.45GHz Cortex-A53 |
| GPU | Adreno 509 | Adreno 506 | Adreno 505 |
| RAM | LPDDR4X @ 1333MHz | LPDDR3 | LPDDR3 |
| DSP | Hexagon 680 | Hexagon 546 | Hexagon 536 |
| Modem | X12 LTE 600Mbps down 150Mbps up |
X9 LTE 300Mbps down 150Mbps up |
X6 LTE 150Mbps down 75Mbps up |
| Cameras | 25MP single or 16MP dual | 24MP single or 13MP twin | 12MP single or 8MP dual |
| Fast Charge | four.0 | 3.zero | three.zero |
| Bluetooth | 5.zero | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Process | 14nm FinFET | 14nm FinFET | 12nm FinFET |
The Snapdragon 636 and 632 chipsets actually mark the cross-over level between mid-range and low-end capabilities. But they still sport these ever-important massive CPU cores, which suggests common performance (e.g. system navigation, launching/loading apps) shouldn’t be a problem.
Notable Snapdragon 600 collection phones
Snapdragon 400 collection — Entry-level
Now we come to the least capable Snapdragon collection (except for the now dormant Snapdragon 200 household), designed for entry-level smartphones. But there’s good news here, as the newest Snapdragon 400 chipset is actually an enormous improvement.
The new Snapdragon 460 has rather a lot in widespread with the Snapdragon 662, including heavyweight CPU cores (4 Cortex-A73 and 4 Cortex-A53), the identical GPU, HEIF help, Bluetooth 5.1, and even 48MP multi-frame seize capabilities. The only real downside is that it’s solely anticipated to seem in telephones at the end of 2020.
Otherwise, the Snapdragon 450 and 439 are the primary 400-series chips you’ll discover in phones right now. These supply octa-core designs based mostly on low-powered Cortex-A53 cores, very modest LTE speeds, and unspectacular Adreno 500-series GPUs. In other phrases, phones powered by these chips usually tend to wrestle with advanced games and everyday system efficiency. Their very own major saving grace is that they’re pretty power-efficient owing to 14nm and 12nm manufacturing processes respectively.
| & | Snapdragon 460 | Snapdragon 450 | Snapdragon 439 | Snapdragon 429 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 4x Kryo 240 (Cortex-A73) 4x Kryo 240 (Cortex-A53) |
8x 1.8Ghz Cortex-A53 | 4x 1.95Ghz Cortex-A53 4x 1.45Ghz Cortex-A53 |
4x 1.95GHz Cortex-A53 |
| GPU | Adreno 610 | Adreno 506 | Adreno 505 | Adreno 504 |
| DSP | Hexagon 683 | Hexagon 546 | Hexagon 536 | Hexagon 536 |
| Modem | Snapdragon X11 LTE 390Mbps down, 150Mbps up |
Snapdragon X9 LTE 300Mbps down, 150Mbps up |
Snapdragon X6 LTE 150Mbps down, 75Mbps up |
Snapdragon X6 LTE 150Mbps down, 75Mbps up |
| Cameras | 32MP single or 22MP twin 192MP snapshot |
48MP single or 22MP twin 192MP snapshot |
21MP single or 8MP twin | 16MP single or 8MP twin |
| Quick Cost | three.0 | 3.0 | three.zero | three.0 |
| Bluetooth | 5.1 | 4.1 | 5.0 | 5.zero |
| Course of | 11nm FinFET | 14nm FinFET | 12nm FinFET | 12nm FinFET |
The least succesful chipset within the Snapdragon 400 household is the Snapdragon 429 though. It halves the core rely to only four power-sipping Cortex-A53 cores, tops out at HD+ display decision (no 1080p here), and supports two 8MP cameras or one 16MP sensor. It’s not all dangerous although, as there’s nonetheless Quick Cost three.zero help, and Bluetooth 5 capabilities. Simply don’t anticipate triple cameras or good performance in 3D video games.
The Snapdragon 400 collection does the fundamentals nicely enough, similar to calling, social media, WhatsApp, and net shopping. However those wanting good gaming performance, the quickest charging, the newest Bluetooth commonplace, and one of the best cameras should look elsewhere.
Notable Snapdragon 400 collection telephones
That’s all for our Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC information! Let us know your ideas on the silicon big’s portfolio within the feedback.
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