Qualcomm announces new mid-range Snapdragon chips with improved AI

Qualcomm has announced Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 and Snapdragon 4 Gen 1, two new processors for mid-range smartphones with flagship features and additional AI capabilities.

As with such naming conventions, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 is the more capable of the two, featuring a triple Image Signal Processor (ISP) that can capture images from up to three cameras simultaneously at “gigapixel speeds”. It also supports snapshots up to 108MP and computed HDR video capture thanks to support for offset HDR image sensors.

Arguably the biggest performance boost here comes from AI, with Qualcomm’s 7th Gen AI Engine delivering 3x the AI ​​performance of previous Snapdragon 6-series chips.

In terms of pure performance, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 gets a 35 percent faster graphics rendering and 40 percent faster processing speed compared to the Snapdragon 695.

As for the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1, Qualcomm boasts that it is the first Snapdragon 4-series chip built on the 6nm process. This should have significant battery life benefits in more affordable Android phones. In addition to improving efficiency, Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 offers a more modest 15% faster processor and 10% faster GPU than its predecessor.

This more modest chip is also equipped with an AI Engine that promises to make “the experience on the device more fluid and intuitive.”

On the camera side, you also get triple ISP and support for 108MP shots, as well as multi-frame noise reduction.

Both chips support 5G connectivity, as you’d expect, but the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 goes further with mmWave in addition to the usual sub-6GHz support. The faster chip also supports 2×2 Wi-Fi 6E, while the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 only covers Wi-Fi 5.

Qualcomm expects the first Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 devices to hit the market in the first quarter of 2023, with Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 phones before the end of the year.