Qualcomm: High-end ARM core in CPU for mid-range smartphones

Qualcomm begins introducing its first smartphone processor, which adopts a three-core cluster CPU design, into lower price brackets. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 brings this approach to mid-range smartphones for the first time.

The US chip giant Qualcomm has introduced the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2. It is an eight-core SoC for upper mid-range smartphones that, like the manufacturer’s high-end chips, relies on a tri-cluster core design of the CPU. This means that three different types of computing cores are integrated. Previously, this was only common on the high-end Snapdragon 8-series chips.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2: Tri-cluster CPU design enters the mid-range

There was no Snapdragon 7+ Gen 1

The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2, which, contrary to what the name suggests, has no direct predecessor, has an ARM Cortex-X2 core with up to 2.91 gigahertz on board, which Qualcomm markets as usual as the “Kryo Gold” core . There are also three other high-end cores that use the ARM Cortex-A710 architecture and reach up to 2.49 gigahertz. There are also four Cortex-A510 cores that work at a maximum of 1.8 GHz.

Qualcomm is also switching to the ARMv9 architecture in the middle class, promising, among other things, up to 50 percent more performance for the CPU, while the Adreno GPU used here is said to have even doubled its performance. Benchmarks have yet to prove this, but the performance should actually have increased significantly with the fundamental changes in the design compared to the predecessor Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 (without Plus).

Slow motion videos with 240 FPS & 1080p resolution possible

The new chip is no longer manufactured by Samsung, but by TSMC on a 4-nanometer scale. Among other things, it also comes with stronger image processing that supports smartphone cameras with a resolution of up to 200 megapixels and can record 1080p videos at up to 240 frames per second. The platform also offers support for LPDDR5 memory and has an integrated Snapdragon X62 5G modem, which allows theoretical downstream data rates of up to 4.4 gigabits/s. However, you still have to wait for WiFi 7 in the middle class, because the FastConnect 6900 radio system used here supports a maximum of WiFi 6E. Bluetooth 5.3 is also on board and there are the gaming features that are now common with Qualcomm.

According to Qualcomm, the first smartphones with the new Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 will be launched later this month. It will probably be the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Turbo and the Realme GT Neo 5 SE, both of which come from Chinese device manufacturers. It is still unclear when the first models can be expected in Europe.

See also:

Processor, Cpu, Chip, SoC, Qualcomm, Snapdragon, Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2
Qualcomm