Qualcomm recently announced the Snapdragon 801, an update to its existing Snapdragon 800 processor. While the basics of the 801 are similar to the 800 – software and pin compatibility – the rest of the CPU has been overhauled with significant new features.
Qualcomm upgraded the Krait 400 core to a maximum clock speed of 2.5GHz, and integrated 4G LTE Category 4 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi directly into the module (the 800 has to be paired with a separate LTE baseband). The 801’s imaging processor has been dramatically improved, offering a 45% jump in processing speed and the ability to handle more powerful camera sensors. The chip also adds support for dual-SIM/dual-active (DSDA) service for devices marketed in China. The Adreno 330 GPU remains the same. Qualcomm said the 801 is already in production and will makes its first appearance in the Samsung Galaxy S5.
The improved chip is positioned just under the Snapdragon 805, which is Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line processor for premiere devices. The 805 won’t ship until close to the end of 2014.
