Qualcomm launches four new SoCs for a wide range of mobile devices

Despite the raging semiconductor shortage, Qualcomm somehow managed to launch not one but four new SoCs for mobile devices. They span across a wide gamut of price points ranging between entry-level and upper-mid-range. Apart from the Snapdragon 680 4G, all other SKUs (Snapdragon 480+, Snapdragon 695 5G and Snapdragon 778G + 5G) have 5G modems.

Snapdragon 680 4G

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 4G (SM6225) is the latest entrant in the quintessential 6xx series of chipsets that we've seen in a variety of mid-rangers over the years. It is an incremental upgrade over the Snapdragon 678 launched last year (2020) but is based on a vastly more efficient 6nm process node. It uses Qualcomm's Kryo 265 CPU cluster with its prime cores clocked at 2.2GHz and an Adreno 610 GPU. Other Snapdragon 680 4G features include support for FHD+ displays with a 90Hz refresh rate/10-bit colour depth, LPDDR4x RAM clocked at 2,133 MT/s, a single 64MP camera module, and the ability to record videos at 1080p 30 FPS.

Snapdragon 480+ 5G

Moving on to the Snapdragon 480+ 5G (SM4350-AC), we get a slightly modified version of the Snapdragon 480 5G. It reuses the same Kryo 460 CPUs from last year's model but ups the maximum clock speed to 2.2GHz (instead of 2GHz). The Adreno 619 has been improved, too, but Qualcomm hasn't told us much more than that. Everything else is pretty much identical across both chipsets, such as support for 120Hz FHD+ displays, 64MP camera module, 1080p 60 FPS video recording capability, aptX Adaptive, Quick Charge 4+, and UFS 2.2 storage.

Snapdragon 695 5G

Things begin to get a tad interesting with the Snapdragon 695 5G (SM6375). Prima facie might seem like a 6nm refresh of the Snapdragon 690, but it brings forth an important upgrade: support for mmWave 5G networks. Previously, the feature was reserved only for higher-end hardware and will now be available across more devices. Then again, mmWave networks are few and far between, so only a handful of people stand to benefit from it.

The Snapdragon 695 5G also bumps up the CPU clock speed to 2.2GHz and uses an Adreno 619 GPU.Interestingly enough, the Snapdragon 695 5G's ISP has been downgraded in a manner of speaking. It supports a single 108MP camera sensor, whereas its predecessor (Snapdragon 690 5G) could do 192MP. The slow-motion video capturing prowess has also been nerfed to 720p, 120 FPS from 720p to 240 FPS. These downgrades are not earth-shattering and will not affect the chipset's overall performance.

Snapdragon 778G+ 5G

Lastly, we're left with the Snapdragon 778G+ 5G (SM7325-AE). Not only is it a mouthful to say, but it also offers the most negligible improvements compared to its antecedent (Snapdragon 778G). The Kryo 670 CPU cores run at 2.5GHz instead of 2.4GHz. Additionally, its Adreno 642L GPU is up to 20% faster than that on the Snapdragon 778G. Other features include support for sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G networks, 144Hz FHD+ HDR/HDR10 displays, Bluetooth 5.2, Qualcomm FastConnect, 3,200MT/s LPDDR5 RAM and more.

Qualcomm hasn't mentioned when we'll see the aforementioned SoCs in action but has teased that they'll be featured in HMD Global, Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, Honor and Motorola devices. Ideally, we should see them in action before Qualcomm unveils its magnum opus, the Snapdragon 898, in late December 2021.