Qualcomm has debuted two new Snapdragon SOCs for mid price phones with the Snapdragon 660 and the Snapdragon 630. The new chips sport higher performance, which we would expect, than past versions while also gaining improved photography, support for machine learning software, better radio systems and more. For the non- phone geeks, coming phones based off these new chips should be able to bring features which in the past have been only in flagship phones down into the middle price tier.
“With the introduction of the Snapdragon 660 and 630 Mobile Platforms, we are thrilled that features such as improved image quality and fast LTE speeds will now be available in a wide array of devices without sacrificing performance or quality,” said Kedar Kondap, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “This ensures that a greater number of consumers will be able to take advantage of higher quality user experiences in camera, audio and visual processing, connectivity, improved CPU and GPU performance, fast charging, security and machine learning.”
The Snapdragon 660 and 630 Mobile Platforms share the same modem and camera architecture, and are pin and software compatible, making it simpler and easier for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to build, test and calibrate their devices. Both platforms use a 14nm FinFET process and provide 4K video capture and playback capabilities, along with 8GB maximum memory and Vulkan API support. Additionally, the Snapdragon 660 Mobile Platform supports displays up to QHD (2K) resolution, whereas the 630 supports FHD/QXGA (1080p).
The Snapdragon 660 Mobile Platform is now shipping and the Snapdragon 630 Mobile Platform will begin shipping towards the end of this month.
Quick Takeaways for Non-Geeks
So why should I want a phone using these news chips? Beside the faster CPUs and better graphics which we get in each generation of new System on a Chip (Soc) Qualcomm gives us some features which will make your phone experience better. Here are few of reasons. why we look forward to phones powered by these new chips:
- For most end-users hearing the term RF transceiver is as sexy as talking about replacing the water pipes in your house. But both are very important to having things just work they way you want them to. Qualcomm TruSignal tech is now in its third generation and on paper, looks to help fix many issues we live with today when using a cell phones for either data or voice. (We say on paper since we have not used a phone power by the Snapdragon 660 and 630 yet. ) TruSignal enhances radio performance by increasing reliability, data speeds and call coverage. Also it does this in a power efficient manor – which in short means better battery life! TruSignal performance is due to the Qualcomm RF dynamic antenna matching tuner tech. For the non-geeks out there this tech makes better use of antennas in a phone, which is no small deed today since carriers have more spectrum in many different radio bands today. While that helps with give us better coverage, it has also forced Qualcomm and their phone making partners to deal with making the same antennas work for very different frequency needs
- These chips also support 2×2 MU-MIMO (Multi-user MIMO) which is a method of multi-antenna communication – the net take away is faster data speeds for both LTE and wi-fi.
- Qualcomm Quick Charge is means phones powered by these chips can gain 5 hours of talk time in just 5 minutes of charging and up to 50 percent battery life in just 15 minutes of charging. Everyone wants better battery life and use!
- Better Camera Tech – The Spectra 160 image signal processor (ISP) supports improved image quality with more natural skin tones, better low-light photography, while use less battery. The 1660 also has better support for dual cameras along with features such as smooth optical zoom, bokeh effects, dual pixel autofocus, and camcorder stabilization. the new electronic image stabilization used the phone’s gyroscope to correct the pitch, yaw, and roll. The net is better looking pics and get photsosyou would have not been able to take before!
The Snapdragon 660 and 630 Mobile Platforms Seven Major Features:
- Camera: The Qualcomm Spectra 160 premium camera ISP supports improved photographic image quality for more natural skin tones, superior low light photography, as well as better power efficiency and higher throughput for dual camera smartphones. Also supported are features like smooth optical zoom, bokeh effects, dual pixel autofocus, and improved camcorder video stabilization;
- Audio/Visual Processing: The Qualcomm Hexagon 680 DSP featuring vector extensions (HVX) on the Snapdragon 660 Mobile Platform enables high performance, power efficient processing of imaging, computer vision, and machine intelligence workloads, another first in the 600 tier. Optimized software libraries include support for TensorFlow and Halide. Both platforms also support Qualcomm All-Ways Aware™ technology with support for the Google Awareness API. This technology provides Qualcomm Technologies’ next generation of always-on contextual experiences and uses very low power running on the Hexagon DSP;
- Connectivity: The Snapdragon 660 and 630 both feature a Snapdragon X12 LTE Modem, paired with the new SDR660 RF transceiver, which support peak downlink data rates of 600Mbps to the 600-tier lineup of SOCs for the first time. The Snapdragon 660 supports 2×2 MU-MIMO 802.11ac Wi-Fi for twice as much data throughput and up to 60 percent lower download power consumption as the Snapdragon 652. It also offers improved coverage, especially in homes, and offices with hard to penetrate brick and concrete walls as well as advanced features such as LTE/Wi-Fi antenna sharing, and Dual Band Simultaneous (DBS) operation. Both platforms also come with advanced RF front-end support including Qualcomm TruSignal adaptive antenna tuning with carrier aggregation, designed to dynamically optimize signal quality in varying user conditions for wide network coverage and more consistent data and voice experience. The Snapdragon 660 and 630 are the first 600-tier chipsets with envelope tracking technology, including high-power user equipment (HPUE) support, for superior power efficiency and thermal performance. Both platforms also integrate powerful location engines with better sensitivity and support for new constellations (Galileo and QZSS) for faster location fix, enhancements to support mandatory emergency service requirements, as well as smoother pedestrian navigation with up to 50 – 75 percent lower power consumption (compared to previous generation). Both platforms also feature Bluetooth 5 support, which doubles the amount of data that devices can transfer compared to the previous iteration;
- Improved CPU and GPU: The Snapdragon 660 Mobile Platform is the successor to the Snapdragon 653 and features a 20 percent improvement in the Qualcomm® Kryo™ 260 CPU and 30 percent improvement in the Qualcomm Adreno 512 GPU performance, ensuring a better gaming and multimedia experience for end users. The Snapdragon 630, which succeeds the Snapdragon 625, offers a 30 percent increase in the Adreno 508 GPU performance over its predecessor, as well as a 10 percent increase in CPU performance over its predecessor. Both platforms are designed to offer excellent battery life;
- Qualcomm Quick Charge 4: The Snapdragon 660 and 630 Mobile Platforms feature the latest innovations in Quick Charge technology, which supports up to 5 hours of talk time in just 5 minutes of charging and up to 50 percent battery life in just 15 minutes of charging;
- Security: Both platforms support Qualcomm Mobile Security, which provides security focused hardware-based protection, user authentication and device attestation on the mobile device;
- Machine Learning: OEMs and developers can also power immersive and engaging user experiences with machine learning on the Snapdragon 660 and 630 Mobile Platforms using the Snapdragon Neural Processing Engine SDK. This heterogeneous software framework offers support for Caffe/Caffe2 and TensorFlow, making it easy to target and run neural networks on the Snapdragon core that matches the power and performance profile of the desired feature – CPU, GPU or DSP/HVX.
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