Qualcomm has unveiled its latest upper mid-range mobile SoC, the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 1, which replaces the Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 SoC released last year. Qualcomm's latest mobile chip is based on the same 4nm fabrication processor as its predecessor, but it has a faster Prime Kryo CPU based on ARM's Cortex-X2,9 core clocked at 2GHz. There's also a triple performance core running at 2,49 GHz and a cluster of four efficiency cores to tackle less demanding tasks. The chipmaker says its latest offering delivers up to 7% performance gain over the Snapdragon 1 Gen 50, while the upgraded Adreno GPU provides a significant 2X boost in graphics-intensive tasks.
To boost gaming performance, the company also uses some Snapdragon Elite Gaming tricks like Adreno Frame Motion Engine and Volumetric Rendering. There is also support for Automatic Variable Rate Shading (VRS), which automatically adjusts the resolution based on focus-specific screen content while playing games to provide the best visual experience. The powered AI engine is claimed to be twice as fast and up to 40% more power efficient this time around. Upgrades have also been made in the charging and connectivity section. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 peaks with Quick Charge 4+, while the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 SoC activates Quick Charge 50, which is said to go from zero to 5% battery juice in just five minutes.
Improvements that matter
In the camera department, the triple ISP architecture is here to stay, but compared to the 7-bit color depth powered by the Snapdragon 1 Gen 14 SoC, its successor takes things a step further for 18-bit color capture. Qualcomm says the updated Spectra ISP can now capture 4.000 times more light data to deliver higher dynamic range and clarity. The new SoC also supports taking photos up to 200 megapixels, while video capture is capped at 108 megapixels and a frame rate of 30 fps. The supported screen resolution has also increased from FHD+ to QHD at 120Hz, while the old Qualcomm FastConnect 6700 Wi-Fi modem has been replaced by the newer FastConnect 6900 Mobile Connection System.
As a result, the top Wi-Fi download speed goes from 2,9 Gbps to 3,6 Gbps. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 is the first chip in the series to support 5G/4G Dual-Sim Dual Active (DSDA) technology, allowing two SIM cards to standby at the same time. The first wave of phones powered by the new Qualcomm chip will come from China's Realme and Xiaomi's Redmi brand. Leaks suggest that the Realme GT Neo 5 SE will use the aforementioned Qualcomm chip and will also pack other goodies like a 144-inch 6.74K OLED panel with 1.5Hz refresh rate, triple rear cameras and 100W fast charging support.