Qualcomm Snapdragon 865: Notable features, improvements of new flagship chipset

Qualcomm just recently unveiled the Snapdragon 765 and Snapdragon 865. The former is reportedly intended for mid-range mobile devices, while the latter is being promoted for premium models. In fact, smartphone industry analysts believe the Samsung Galaxy S11 will be the first handset to sport the flagship chipset in early 2020. However, there are more details shared by the manufacturer during its presentation at the Snapdragon Tech Summit 2019 in Maui, Hawaii.

New Manufacturing Process

According to Qualcomm's engineers, the Snapdragon 865 is evidently more powerful than its predecessor, the Snapdragon 855. Similar to its predecessor, the new model is a 7nm chip, but built using an updated TSMC 7nm "N7P" node manufacturing process, which AnandTech describes as the ones used on the A13 SoC from Apple. Estimates show an overall increase of 25 per cent in speed and performance.

The new eight-core chip has been redesigned into the Kyro 858 CPU armed with a main Cortex A77 core clocked at 2.84 GH. The next three Cortex A77 cores run at 2.42 GHz, while the remaining four are Cortex A55 cores each with a clock speed of 1.8 GHz. According to Qualcomm, the latter ones are dedicated to low-power processing needs and background tasks.

Imaging Capabilities

Aside from the general processing power, manufacturers are gradually equipping high-end models with improved camera modules. It seems that major brands are now focusing on photography as a central feature. As such Qualcomm opened up about its Spectra 480 image signal processor (ISP) on the Snapdragon 865.

On paper, the co-processor is purportedly capable of enabling cameras with sensors rated at up to 200 MP. In fact, the spec sheet shows it can handle a max processing bandwidth of two gigapixels per second, according to Ars Technica.

Furthermore, the chipset natively supports 4K at 120 fps and 8K at 30 fps. Meanwhile, high-speed video capture is still locked on 720P at 960 fps, but no longer capped in short segments. Now, users will be able to continuously capture footage in slow motion as long as there is enough storage space.

5G Technology

Those hoping for 5G on the flagship-grade SoC will be surprised to know that it is available, albeit differently. A related report noted that the Snapdragon 765 is the only chipset to have an integrated 5G modem. On the other hand, tech companies who plan to order the Snapdragon 865 are required to purchase it as a bundle with the Snapdragon X55 -- a separate 5G modem. It will support FR1 5G standard networks for now.