The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, the latest flagship from Qualcomm, was announced today. Performance has increased overall compared to the Gen 1 model, and we will soon experience this performance since the first Gen 2 devices are just around the horizon.
The SM8550-AB, the chip’s formal name, was created on a 4nm node. Here are some specifics regarding its parts.
The CPU and GPU
Despite Qualcomm’s focus on improving power efficiency, the new CPU still delivers observable performance boosts. Up to 40% more efficiency and up to 35% faster performance are available with the new Kryo CPU triple.
The core architecture is different from the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, but the clock rates are the same. High single-threaded performance is provided by the single Kryo Prime core (based on Cortex-X3), which operates at 3.2GHz (3.1872GHz to be exact). To better support multi-threaded programmes, it is provided this time by four Performance cores (instead of three) that run at 2.8GHz. Finally, there are three (rather than four) 2.0GHz Efficiency cores.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has support for new, faster memory technologies. Up to 4,200MHz of LP-DDR5X RAM is supported (up from LP-DDR5 at 3,200MHz). It supports the brand-new UFS 4.0 data storage standard (up from UFS 3.1).
Up to 25% more performance and up to 45% more power efficiency are promised by the most recent Adreno GPU. Ray tracing which has been hardware-accelerated is now supported by the Snapdragon platform. The major Android chipset suppliers already provide ray tracing hardware, so it’s possible that mobile game creators may adopt the new technology as they did for PC and console games. The first GPU to support Vulkan 1.3 is also this one (along with OpenGL ES 3.2).
On-device screens with QHD+ resolution can run at up to 144Hz on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and those with 4K resolution can run at up to 60Hz. Additionally, it supports external monitors up to 4K at 60Hz (as well as HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and the 10-bit Rec. 2020 colour gamut). AV1 video decoding has now been made accessible by Qualcomm and is capable of handling streams up to 8K at 60 frames per second (with HDR).
Cameras
According to Qualcomm, Samsung’s 200MP HP3 and Sony’s Digital Overlap HDR (DOL-HDR) sensors have been tuned to function with the Snapdragon ISP. Similar to its predecessor, the Gen 2’s triple 18-bit ISP can accommodate up to three 36MP cameras running at 30 frames per second or 200PM for a single camera. 108MP sensors can offer zero shutter lag.
The chipset can capture 64MP images and 8K HDR video at 30 frames per second, as well as 4K at 120 frames per second and slow-motion films (720p at 960fps). Several HDR formats are supported, including HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision. Using DOL sensors, it can capture up to four exposures for each video frame.
Connectivity
The new Snapdragon X70 modem is added to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. Naturally, it supports both sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G. Max downlink and peak uplink speeds are both 10Gbps (similar to its predecessor).
Two 5G SIMs (or 5G+4G) can be efficient with this modem’s Dual-SIM, Dual-Active (DSDA) capability.
The new FastConnect 78000 system, which supports the upcoming Wi-Fi 7 standard, enables local connectivity (802.11be). It can go up to 5.8Gbps (up from 3.6Gbps on the previous chip). The new standard increases speed while decreasing latency (Qualcomm calls it “wire-like”).
The FastConnect system continues to support Bluetooth 5.3. With the most recent Snapdragon Sound system, it can give the lowest-ever 48ms latency for gaming as well as 48kHz lossless audio streaming.
See the #Snapdragon 8 Gen 2’s Ray Tracing features in action on @WarThunder Edge by @GaijinEnt — it enhances overall visual quality and immersion by adding ray-traced smooth shadows with realistic penumbras, translucency, self-shadowing, and other effects. pic.twitter.com/4tqlIWcwBP
— Snapdragon (@Snapdragon) November 16, 2022
For wired connectivity, there isn’t much to tell because the processor only supports USB 3.1 and Quick Charge 5. (which is just a wrapper around the USB Power Delivery standard).
AI
The new Hexagon processor is the first mobile Qualcomm chip to handle the new INT4 format. It guarantees 60%. superior performance per Watt compared to earlier methods.
The Hexagon is quicker overall as well; according to Qualcomm, AI performance has grown 4.35 times. By distinguishing which elements of the image are a face, hair, clothes, background, etc., and applying different processing to them, that power may be used to assist the camera.
Arriving soon
Leading Android manufacturers like Asus ROG, Honor, iQOO, Motorola, nubia, OnePlus, Oppo, Red Magic, Sharp, Sony, Vivo, Xiaomi, Meizu, and ZTE will use the Snapdragon, according to Qualcomm’s press release. 8 Gen 2 chip.
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