Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon 835 Mobile Processor

By Ken Brown

Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon 835 Mobile Processor

Qualcomm Snapdragon 835

Qualcomm today announced their newest flagship System-on-Chip, the Snapdragon 835 designed to have world-class performance and extremely efficient power consumption. The Snapdragon 835 is the first mobile chip to be commercially available that uses a 10nm FinFET process node that allows for higher clock speeds for next-generation applications as well as enhanced power efficiency so that you can use your favorite features longer. Qualcomm designed the Snapdragon 835 to support all major user experiences including virtual reality/augmented reality head-up displays, digital photography, tablet platforms and all OSs including Android and Windows (versions 10 as well as legacy version Win32).

Our new flagship Snapdragon processor is designed to meet the demanding requirements of mobile virtual reality and ubiquitous connectivity while supporting a variety of thin and light mobile designs, said Cristiano Amon, executive vice president, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and president, QCT. The Snapdragon 835 has an unprecedented level of technology integration that supports superior battery life, improved multimedia, and exceptional photography with gigabit class speeds for fast, immersive experiences.

The Snapdragon 835 features:

  • Kryo 280 CPU with four performance cores running at up to 2.45 GHz and four efficiency cores running up to 1.9GHz;
  • an integrated Snapdragon X16 LTE modem with support for Category 16 LTE download speeds up to one gigabit per-second, and Category 13 LTE upload speeds up to 150 megabits per-second;
  • integrated 2×2 11ac MU-MIMO with up to 50 percent reduction in size and up to 60 percent reduction in Wi-Fi power consumption, compared to the Snapdragon 820;
  • 802.11ad Multi-gigabit Wi-Fi, offering up to 4.6 gigabits per-second peak speed;
  • the worlds first certified Bluetooth 5 commercial technology offering up to two megabits per-second speed and a suite of features that enable many new use cases. Bluetooth, FM radio,Wi-Fi and RF offered through companion WCN3990 solution);
  • Adreno 540 GPU with support for OpenGL ES 3.2, full OpenCL 2.0, Vulkan and DX12;
  • Hexagon 682 DSP with HVX;
  • Qualcomm All-Ways Aware technology with support for the Google Awareness API;
  • dual-channel LP DDR4x memory at 1866MHz;
  • Qualcomm Location with support for GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, and QZSS systems, which in combination with LTE/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth connectivity to provide always-on location and context awareness;
  • up to 32 MP single and 16 MP dual-camera with Qualcomm Spectra 180 ISP, 2x ISP, 14-bit, hybrid autofocus (laser/contrast/structured light/dual-phase detection AF), Qualcomm Clear Sight, optical zoom, hardware accelerated face detection and HDR video recording;
  • 4K Ultra HD video capture @ 30 fps, up to 4K Ultra HD video playback @ 60 fps, support for H.264 (AVC) and H.265 (HEVC);
  • maximum On-Device and External Display Support including Ultra HD Premium ready, 4K @60fps, wide color gamut support, 10-bit color depth;
  • Quick Charge 4 technology;
  • the Snapdragon security platform including the Qualcomm SecureMSM hardware and software and the Qualcomm Haven security suite;
  • Qualcomm Aqstic WCD9341 audio codec combined with Snapdragon 835 supports an audiophile grade DAC with 32-bit/384kHz support with an SNR at 115dB and ultra-low -105dB THD+N and native DSD hi-fi audio playback. Additionally, the Snapdragon 835 supports Qualcomm aptX and aptX HD Bluetooth audio with 2x improved power for wireless connectivity;
  • manufactured on 10nm FinFET technology.

Qualcomm told us that the Snapdragon 835 processor is now in production and will be shipped in commercial devices the first half of 2017. We expect more examples of the newest Snapdragon in action this week during 2017 CES.