PC Advisor

News: Analysis
New features coming to 2016
flagship smartphones and tablets
Fed up with your current smartphone? Well there’s plenty to get excited about with the Snapdragon
820. Here are the great features a Snapdragon 820-powered smartphone could have. By Chris Martin
A
lthough details about the chip have
been floating around the web for a
while, Qualcomm has now revealed
exactly what advantages and upgrades it
will bring. A company spokesperson told us:
“The Snapdragon 820 has been holistically
designed around enriching visual quality
and audio clarity, as well as developing more
intuitive ways to interact with devices, to
generate deeply immersive experiences.”
Specifications
Let’s break down the four main components
of the Snapdragon 820 which are the CPU,
GPU, DSP and LTE modem.
Kyro CPU
An important part of any SoC (system-on-achip),
the Kryo CPU inside the 820 will bring
up to twice the performance and double the
power efficiency when compared to previous
generations. The 64-bit-capable custom
CPU is also the first to be made with a 14nm
FinFET manufacturing process.
Adreno 530 GPU
The Adreno 530 offers 40 percent
better performance and power efficiency
compared to previous generations.
Hexagon 680 DSP
The Hexagon 680 DPS (digital signal
processor) is for tasks that can be done
faster than the CPU and with less power. For
simple things such as playing an MP3, the
680 can double playback time. Qualcomm
claims that it can be up to three times
faster than the CPU for certain tasks and
10 times more efficient.
X12 LTE
Last but not least is the X12 LTE modem,
which provides 33 percent improved
performance and 15 percent better power
efficiency. Users will be able to, in theory,
get 600Mb/s download speeds and 150Mb/s
upload speeds thanks to Cat 12 – that’s
double if you’ve got a phone with Cat 6 in
your pocket. It’s also the first to support
unlicensed spectrum bands to help with data
capacity on networks (LTE-U). There’s also
802.11ad for faster line-of-sight Wi-Fi, 11ac
MU-MIMO (multi-user), Smart Wi-Fi Calling.
New features
Qualcomm says the processor’s connectivity
features are unmatched by any other mobile
SoC, so let’s look at them to see what you’re
2016 phone will be capable of. Note that
these are just base features of the 820
and some are optional, so manufacturing
partners will choose which ones they want to
invest time and money in.
Battery life and overheating
These are probably two of the big questions
on your lips right now when it comes to
the Snapdragon 820. Will it provide better
battery life and will it overheat?
According to Qualcomm, the news is
good. Since the 820 is more power efficient,
the battery life will be increased, while
producing less heat. In terms of numbers,
the Snapdragon 820 consumes 30 percent
less power compared with the 810, which
has suffered from some heat issues in a
number of phones.
Quick Charge 3.0
Quick Charge 3.0 is designed to be four
times faster than normal charging.
Compared to previous versions, it’s twice
as fast as the original and 38 percent more
efficient than Quick Charge 2.0.
Qualcomm says it “employs Intelligent
Negotiation for Optimum Voltage (INOV), an
algorithm that allows your portable device
to determine what power level to request at
any point in time, enabling optimum power
transfer while maximising efficiency.”
Visual processing
With phones now offering resolutions up
to 4K, visuals are more important than
ever. Qualcomm says you can expect
photorealistic video graphics thanks to
the combined efforts of the Kryo CPU and
Adreno GPU. It does this by implementing
things such as dynamic reflections, HDR
rendering and temporal anti-aliasing.
Snapdragon Scene Detect
This is an interesting technology that
Qualcomm says will intelligently work out
what you’re taking a photo of, detecting
16 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news February 2016