At the ongoing Snapdragon Tech Summit 2019 in Hawaii, the US-based chipset manufacturer announced its next-generation flagship systems-on-a-chip (SoC) for 5G enabled Android smartphones. However, the chipsets are not exactly what we expected.
Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 865 for flagship devices while Snapdragon 765 and 765G are aimed at the upper mid-range of smartphones.
To our surprise, the flagship model SoC SD865 does not come with an integrated 5G chip, however, the more modest Snapdragon 765 features an integrated 5G chipset.
These chipsets were announced on the first day of the SD Tech Summit, the Company did not announce any design details or specifications, Qualcomm instead focused on talking about how the company will position its next-generation chipsets in the future.
Here’s what we know about the recently launched chipsets.
Snapdragon 865
Qualcomm’s latest flagship model SoC, as mentioned, will not come with an integrated 5G chipset, instead, OEMs will have to buy the Snapdragon X55, the Company’s second-generation 5G modem, in the package. Weirdly, the SoC cannot be used to power 4G smartphones. So, manufacturers will have no choice but to invest in both, the SoC and the 5G modem. Apart from this, the chipset will support up to 200-megapixel camera sensors and up to 8K 30fps video recording.
Qualcomm said it will not require 865-based devices to support millimeter-wave 5G since it requires a special redesign, however, the Company will not allow OEMs to use the new chipset in smartphones that lack 5G connectivity support.
Snapdragon 765 / 765G 5G
Designed for upper mid-range smartphones, this SoC comes integrated with a 5G modem. As compared to Snapdragon 865, these two chipsets feature a slightly slower Snapdragon X52 5G modem. It will only work on sub-6 5G networks, that have slower (up to 3.7Gbits/s) speed but wider coverage. Both the SoCs will also feature advanced AI processing and some Snapdragon Elite Gaming experiences.
OEM plans
For now, Oppo and Xiaomi have confirmed that they will be launching Snapdragon 865 powered phones in Q1 of 2020. Xiaomi’s Mi 10 will be one of the pioneers when it comes to featuring the SD865 SoC. Apart from this, analysts are expecting the S11 series to be powered by the new SoC as well. Motorola has also confirmed that it will be launching a flagship smartphone fueled by the new SoC.
As for the SD765, Redmi K30 and Oppo Reno 3 will be the first phones fueled by the new mid-range SoC. Moreover, HMD Global, LG, Motorola, OPPO, Realme, Redmi, and Vivo have confirmed they will be launching smartphones with the SD765.
