The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 was announced during the company annual conference in Hawaii in December just like the company practiced it for the previous few years. Yes, the newly introduced next flagship mobile processor from Qualcomm is abandoning the sequential numbering strategy that has characterized its Processor cores for years for the second year in a row. Similarly, to how the Snapdragon 865 gave way to the 888, the 888 will now be replaced by the Gen 1.
Qualcomm’s X65 5G modem is included in the system-on-a-chip. According to the company, potential download rates of 10Gbps are possible. That’s one of those specifications that sounds amazing on paper but won’t mean much in practice because even the best 5G networks can’t produce speeds faster than 4Gbps under ideal conditions. If you have a WiFi 6 or 6E router, Gen 1 can achieve WiFi download speeds of 3.6 Gbps.
Qualcomm has worked hard to improve the camera experience, as it has with previous flagship chipsets. Gen 1 is equipped with an 18-bit image signal processor. This is a first for Qualcomm, as it lets the component handle 4,000 times more data than the Snapdragon 888’s 14-bit Spectra ISP. In addition, phones equipped with the Gen 1 will be able to snap photographs at a rate of 3.2 gigapixels per second. According to Qualcomm, this means Gen 1 can analyze data from three 36-megapixel cameras at the same time with no shutter latency.
The processor can record 8K HDR film at 30 frames per second, another first for a mobile device, according to the company. Again, that isn’t the most practical feature for a phone in 2021, as 4K is the highest resolution for most entertainment. In addition, Gen 1 offers UHD capture at 120 frames per second and slow-motion recording at 960 frames per second in 720p. The Gen 1 contains an always-on image signal processor that can run a camera while requiring very little battery power, in addition to its Spectra ISP. It’s a feature that will enable Gen 1 devices to provide always-on facial recognition for biometric authentication.
The Gen 1 will not provide significantly increased CPU performance over the Snapdragon 888 Plus. It does, however, guarantee faster performance for AI-related activities. This is due to Qualcomm’s new seventh-generation AI engine, which the firm claims is up to four times quicker than its predecessor due to more shared memory and a faster tensor accelerator. Another hallmark of the Gen 1 is its gaming performance. Qualcomm claims that their new Adreno GPU provides 30% quicker rendering performance while consuming 25% less power. In terms of audio, the Gen 1 supports Qualcomm’s recently launched aptX Lossless Bluetooth codec. Over a wireless connection, it can stream up to CD-quality 16-bit 44.1kHz audio.
A specialized Trust Management Engine rounds out the Gen 1 feature set. The Gen 1 is the first mobile chipset to ship with compatibility for Google’s Android Ready SE standard, which means it can store things like digital vehicle keys and IDs.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 gives an intriguing glimpse at the future generation of Android flagships with its mix of performance enhancements and new capabilities. We must now wait and see what capabilities manufacturers opt to enable in their new devices. The first phones with Gen 1 capabilities will be available later this year, with more coming in the first half of 2022.
Separately, Qualcomm announced a collaboration with Google to include the company’s Neural Architecture Search engine into its product range. The technology, which will first be accessible on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, allows companies to develop and optimize AI models automatically rather than manually. Google claims that NAS improves AI models in weeks rather than months.
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