Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ / 855 Plus vs Qualcomm Snapdragon 860

Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G (SD730G Mobile Platform) is a fast mid-range ARM-based SoC largely found on Android tablets and smartphones. It integrates eight cores (octa-core) divided into two clusters. A fast performance cluster contains two ARM Cortex-A76 cores clocked at up to 2.3 GHz (Kryo 465 Gold) and a power efficiency cluster with six small ARM Cortex-A55 cores at up to 1.8 GHz (Kryo 465 Silver). Depending on the workload only single clusters or all cores can run at different clock speeds.

The differences to the Snapdragon 730(G) Kryo 470 are not known, although the performance is comparable.

The chip includes a range of other features like a fast X15 LTE radio (800 Mbits Cat 15 download), Wi-Fi 6 wireless radios (802.11ax), satellite positioning, USB-C 3.1, Spectra 350L ISP, Hexagon 692 DSP, H.265 video en- and decode, an LPDDR4X-3733 dual-channel memory controller and a Adreno 618 graphics card.

The Snapdragon 720G is manufactured in the modern 8 nm process at Samsung (8LLP).

Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ / 855 Plus

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus (855+) Mobile Platform is a high-end smartphone and tablet SoC that Qualcomm announced in 2019. Compared to the normal Snapdragon 855, the 855 Plus offers higher clock speeds of the GPU and CPU. The SoC integrates a fast ‘Prime Core’ that clocks up to 2.96 GHz (up from 2.84 GHz in the 855) and three further fast ARM Cortex-A76 performance cores, which can reach up to 2.42 GHz. These are complemented by four power-saving ARM Cortex-A55 cores that clock up to a maximum of 1.8 GHz.

The SoC also integrates the new X24 LTE modem that Qualcomm promises will deliver up to 2 Gbit/s maximum download speed over LTE Cat.20 and up to 316 Mbit/s upload speeds. The Snapdragon 855 can be configured with the company’s new X50 5G modem too.

Qualcomm has also improved the integrated Wi-Fi modem, which is Wi-Fi 6-ready, has 8x8 Sounding and supports up to 802.11 ay Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi modem can utilise the 60 GHz mmWave band for up to 10 Gbit/s internet speeds.

The Hexagon 690 DSP has undergone the most revisions of that which Qualcomm has integrated into the Snapdragon 855. The new DSP incorporates a neural processing unit (NPU) with dedicated Tensor-cores that can execute up to 7 trillion operations per second in conjunction with the CPU and GPU. In short, the Snapdragon 855 should be three times faster than the Snapdragon 845 and two times faster than the Kirin 980 SoC.

The Snapdragon 855 also has a Spectra 380 ISP onboard, which is the world’s first chip to incorporate a Computer Vision Engine (CV-ISP) that can perform depth calculations in videos at up to 60 FPS. The Snapdragon 855 should deliver real-time portrait modes or be able to detect objects with relatively low power consumption.

The built-in memory controller supports up to 16 GB LPDDR4x RAM (4 x 16-bit). As the SD855, the 855+ integrates an Adreno 640 graphics card that is now higher clocked and should offer a 15% higher performance.

Qualcomm will manufacturer the Snapdragon 855+ at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) using a 7 nm FinFET process. 

Qualcomm Snapdragon 860

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 (SM8150-AC) Mobile Platform is a high-end smartphone and tablet SoC that Qualcomm announced in 2021. Compared to the old Snapdragon 855 Plus, the 860 is very similar and adds support for 16 GB RAM and a few camera features.

The SoC integrates a fast ‘Prime Core’ that clocks up to 2.96 GHz (up from 2.84 GHz in the 855) and three further fast ARM Cortex-A76 performance cores, which can reach up to 2.42 GHz. These are complemented by four power-saving ARM Cortex-A55 cores that clock up to a maximum of 1.8 GHz.

The SoC also integrates the X24 LTE modem that Qualcomm promises will deliver up to 2 Gbit/s maximum download speed over LTE Cat.20 and up to 316 Mbit/s upload speeds. The Snapdragon 860 can be configured with the company’s new X50 5G modem too (as an external chip).

The integrated Wi-Fi modem, which is Wi-Fi 6-ready, has 8x8 Sounding and supports up to 802.11 ay Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi modem can utilise the 60 GHz mmWave band for up to 10 Gbit/s internet speeds.

The Hexagon 690 DSP incorporates a neural processing unit (NPU) with dedicated Tensor-cores that can execute up to 7 trillion operations per second in conjunction with the CPU and GPU. In short, the Snapdragon 860 should be three times faster than the Snapdragon 845 and two times faster than the Kirin 980 SoC.

The Snapdragon 860 also has a Spectra 380 ISP onboard, which was the world’s first part to incorporate a Computer Vision Engine (CV-ISP) that can perform depth calculations in videos at up to 60 FPS. The Snapdragon 860 should deliver real-time portrait modes or be able to detect objects with relatively low power consumption.

The built-in memory controller supports up to 16 GB LPDDR4x RAM (4 x 16-bit). As the SD855 and 855+, the 860 integrates an Adreno 640 graphics card.

Qualcomm will manufacturer the Snapdragon 860 at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) using a 7 nm FinFET process.