Qualcomm Announces Three New Snapdragon Processors that Bring Advanced Modem, Imaging and Sensors to Mainstream Devices

Making premium-tier features available to more affordable smartphones around the world

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced that its subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., has introduced three new next-generation Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processors: the Snapdragon 625, 435 and 425.

These new processors are designed to deliver some of the latest premium-tier user experiences, using custom-developed technology including camera, video, gaming and connectivity, to the broader smartphone ecosystem.

All of these new Snapdragon processors incorporate advanced technologies including support for LTE with carrier aggregation, Snapdragon All Mode, support for 802.11ac with MU-MIMO,  dual camera image signal processors (ISPs), Qualcomm® TruSignal™ technology for improved call reliability, Qualcomm® Hexagon™ DSP for power efficient audio with sensor hub – meeting Android M sensor requirements, Qualcomm® Quick Charge™, and a comprehensive reference design. Moreover, the Snapdragon 435 and 425 are pin compatible with each other and with the Snapdragon 430. Snapdragon 635, 435 and 425 are software compatible.

height=350

Additional features unique to each Snapdragon are:

• Snapdragon 625: In addition to a dramatic increase in performance, the Snapdragon 625 is the first in its class of Snapdragon processors to use 14 nm FinFET technology, yielding up to a 35 percent reduction in power consumption compared to the previous generation.  It incorporates an octa-core ARM® Cortex®-A53 CPU and includes an integrated X9 LTE modem, supporting 4G+. With peak upload speeds of 150 Mbps – 3x as fast as traditional LTE devices – the X9 LTE modem supports faster sharing of the superior videos and photos made possible by the Snapdragon 625 processor’s cutting-edge, premium-tier camera capabilities. These include superior 4K high-efficiency video coding recording and playback, even in low light conditions. It also supports dual high-resolution cameras, 24 megapixel photos, and up to 13 megapixel selfies, supporting higher-quality, low light snapshots and advanced post-processing features such as re-focus, advanced editing and special effects. Finally, the 625 supports PC-class graphics with the Qualcomm® Adreno™ 506 graphics processing unit (GPU), which is designed to support the Vulkan™ API*.
• Snapdragon 435: The new Snapdragon 435 integrates an octa-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU and is the first in its class to integrate the X8 LTE modem, supporting 4G+, with 2×20 MHz carrier aggregation for faster downlink (up to 300 Mbps) and uplink (up to 100 Mbps) LTE speeds. It supports a smooth 1080p user interface with 60 frames per-second, dual ISPs enabling 21 megapixel photos and advanced features like hybrid autofocus and is a leader in image quality in this tier. It also includes the Adreno 505 GPU for PC-class graphics.
• Snapdragon 425: The Snapdragon 425 ups the entry point for the 400 tier and provides a solid upgrade path for the Snapdragon 410 and 412 customers with a 64-bit, quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 CPU, an Adreno 308 GPU, and HD display at 60 frames per-second. The dual ISPs enabling 16 megapixel photos support an improved camera and video experience. Several premium computer vision features are supported for the first time in this Snapdragon tier enabling advanced visual experiences. The 425 also includes an integrated X6 LTE modem with 2×10 MHz carrier aggregation and upload speeds up to 75 Mbps with 64-QAM to allow for cost-effective smartphones designed with high-speed LTE connectivity for China and emerging regions.

“We develop all of our processor technologies with scalability in mind, so that we can quickly and cost effectively accelerate the availability of premium tier capabilities within the rest of our portfolio of Snapdragon processors, making superior user experiences more accessible to a broader range of consumers,” said Alex Katouzian, senior vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “This approach allows us to quickly expand our custom feature development, rapidly deploy compatible software across tiers, and enhance our ability to integrate application and connectivity solutions with leading user experiences to meet our customers’ needs at multiple price points quickly and effectively.”

These next-generation high and low-tier processors in the Snapdragon family are expected to be sampling to customers in mid-2016 and are expected in commercial devices in the second half of this year. More information on these Snapdragon processors is available athttps://www.qualcomm.com/products/snapdragon.

*Adreno 505 and Adreno 506 are being designed to support the upcoming final version of Vulkan™. Current specification status can be found atwww.khronos.org/vulkan.

height=350