The Snapdragon 888 5G Mobile Platform is now official and the latest SoC solution from Qualcomm that’s set to power a number of flagship Android devices in 2021. The Snapdragon line has always offered Android device buyers the best experience possible, and Qualcomm looks set to continue that trend with its latest chip, albeit under a different moniker than expected.
At the end of each year, Qualcomm holds its ‘Tech Summit’ event where it unveils its next-gen mobile processor platform. This is usually an in-person event (typically in Maui), but the events in 2020 led to the company following in the footsteps of all the other tech brands with a virtual launch. As is always the case with Qualcomm, details emerge slowly during its Tech Summit, so the true power and expectations of the Snapdragon 888 have yet to be fully revealed.
What Qualcomm has 5G experience overall.
Other Snapdragon 888 Features & Improvements
Besides the inclusion of the Snapdragon X60 5G Modem-RF System, another major improvement looks to be the upgrade in mobile photography performance. Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 888’s capture rate is equivalent to 120 12-megapixel photos per second. In other words, Qualcomm explains this as a 35-percent speed improvement compared to the Qualcomm 865 SoC. In addition, the Snapdragon 888 will apparently offer a “pivotal leap” in AI performance, due to the sixth-generation Qualcomm AI Engine. This is along with touting some major improvements in the GPU department, thanks to the latest Snapdragon Elite Gaming upgrades.
With the Snapdragon 888 now official, the main takeaways from the limited information released so far, is improvements in 5G, photography, AI, and GPU performance. While they are all beneficial and will undoubtedly improve the consumer mobile experience in general, they are very much the same improvements announced last year, and the year before that. As a result, the real end benefits remain unknown at the moment. However, with Qualcomm’s Tech Summit still ongoing, it is likely more granular details on what consumers can expect from next year's Android phone experience will come to light.
Source: Qualcomm