When you think of Android smartphones, you probably think of the chipset inside the phone. Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets have been powering Android phones since 2008, and they continue to do so. Now, the company has unveiled two more chipsets that will power Android phones in the future.
The mid-range Snapdragon (SD) 6 Gen 1 is built on 4nm fabrication and the entry-level SD 4 Gen 1 uses 6nm instead. The details on these new chipsets are a little bit sparse at the moment.
Both chipsets have octa-cores, however only the SD 6 Gen 1’s main cores can reach 2.2GHz; the SD 4 Gen 1’s CPU can only reach 2.0GHz. We don’t know what Adreno GPU they are using.
Although Qualcomm didn’t specify what it used as a benchmark, the SD 6 Gen 1 is reported to offer a 35% improvement in graphics performance and a 40% improvement in computing performance. The CPU is 15% quicker and the GPU is 10% more potent on the SD 4 Gen 1. As the company presently doesn’t offer any other 400 chipsets, GSMArena assumes that this comparison is to the SD 480/480+.
Wi-Fi 6E connection and an SD X62 4th generation 5G modem are both included in the SD 6 Gen 1 processor.
The chipset has a 12-bit Spectra Triple ISP supporting native HDR image capturing and 200MP cameras with HDR video support. The bokeh effect, as well as overall performance and energy efficiency, are supported by a 7th generation Qualcomm AI Engine.
The SD 4 Gen 1 also makes use of Qualcomm’s AI Engine, although an older version. With the addition of Variable Rate Shading, the new hardware can now handle 120Hz FHD+ screens.
The Spectra Triple ISP on the SD 4 Gen 1 can support 108MP cameras, and it uses the Multi-frame Noise Reduction tech to suppress noise in photos.
The SD X51 5G modem allows for 5G connectivity, although Wi-Fi 6E is not supported.
While the SD 4 Gen 1 will make its debut on iQOO’s forthcoming Z6 Lite smartphone and will be made available internationally before the end of this quarter, the first SD 6 Gen 1-powered smartphones are anticipated to come in Q1 2023.
