Qualcomm

We're still several months out from the new Google Pixel 2 devices, but at this early stage of the game we've gone digging into what we can expect from the new Android flagships. Based on data from a source with information on the subject as well as our own investigations, we've got a pretty decent idea of what the basics will be for Google's next flagships. Google might be at the helm of Android, but even it has to work with the state of play in the component industry, not to mention whatever trends are at work at the time. Because of that, we can build a fair picture this far ahead of reveal and release.

Continue Reading

Newer doesn't always mean better. Qualcomm learned that the hard way with the Snapdragon 810, its first new 64-bit processor/platform, notorious for its heat problems. And it might be reminded of that again, though thankfully to a less dangerous degree, with the Snapdragon 835. LG downplayed the advantages of the chip over the Snapdragon 821 it chose for the LG G6, and it seems there was actual basis for that. AnandTech was given some exclusive time to benchmark the Snapdragon 835 and, while there were clear improvements, the processor exhibited some rather mixed performance results compared to both its predecessors as well as its peers.

Continue Reading

With all the focus on the high-end, premium smartphones, it’s almost too easy to take for granted that not everyone in the world needs or can even afford such devices. In some markets, smartphones are still a luxury. At the same time, however, Internet access is fast becoming a staple of modern life, even in those markets where non-smart “feature” phones are still more common than smart ones. To give them a fighting chance, Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon 205 platform, not processor, that brings LTE Category 4 capabilities to feature phones.

Continue Reading

Samsung is in a rather “interesting” position as far as silicon production goes. On the one hand, it makes its own Exynos application processor, which is plans to soon push harder to other OEMs. On the other hand, it now fabricates some of Qualcomm’s, specifically the Snapdragon 820, and now, the 835. You might think there’ll be a conflict of interest, especially when you see that, at least on Geekbench, the Samsung Galaxy S8+ running on an Exynos 8895 has a lead over the same phone running on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835.

Continue Reading

This week the folks at Qualcomm have announced their decision to change the way they present their hardware. Instead of calling the technology they create a "Qualcomm Snapdragon processor", they'll be calling it a "Qualcomm Snapdragon Mobile Platform." This should serve to better differentiate the full scope of what Qualcomm does - that's essentially deliver a platform, yes, from which a smartphone (or other smart devices) can process, connect, and deliver data to the end user.

Continue Reading

Newer doesn’t always mean better, especially when it actually makes things worse. For all the benefits that the new 10 nm FinFET manufacturing process has for making silicon, it could put a dent in the schedule of smartphone makers in the long run. Sources are now reporting that the yields for 10 nm chips are lower than expected and it is causing smartphone manufacturers to delay shipments of their smartphones to late in the second quarter, perhaps even later.

Continue Reading

We won’t be seeing the Samsung Galaxy S8 later this month but it’s already trying to wow the geek crowd. At least based on the supposed Galaxy S8 that just landed on Geekbench. With model number SM-G955U, which is for the “Plus” model (the plain Galaxy S8 goes by SM-G950 only), the smartphone is noted to have a single-core performance score of 1929 and a multi-core score of 6084, which pretty much puts it at the top of the list as far as CPUs go.

Continue Reading

Although it already has its Gear VR platform, co-developed with Oculus, Samsung may have more ambitious plans for its virtual reality push. Behind closed doors at MWC 2017, Samsung was reportedly giving select partners a demonstration of prototype VR headsets, ones that don’t need a smartphone or a PC to function. These standalone headsets, instead, carried their own processing power and at the heart of that is Samsung’s brand new Exynos 9 chip.

Continue Reading

5G could get here sooner than expected, with an unexpected push from a number of carriers and modem makers to get the super-fast next-gen networks up and running in 2019. The news, announced at Mobile World Congress 2017 this week, would see 5G going live - in large-scale trials and early deployments, at least - a year ahead of the current goal of 2020. However, it's not as easy as just moving a few dates around on the calendar.

Continue Reading

Razer has revealed a Power Bank charging device to take control of their own laptop charging destiny. To make this happen, the Razer Power Bank rolls with several USB ports to charge not only a laptop, but smartphones and tablets as well. Inside this power bank is a massive 12,800 mAh capacity battery, made for long rides on airplanes and in the back seats of cars.

Continue Reading

GDC and MWC are just around the corner, and Qualcomm is diving head-first into virtual reality with a new dev-kit and hand-tracking technology. The chipmaker may be best known for its smartphone processors, but that same silicon is just as much at home in head-mounted displays. Indeed, the Snapdragon 835 is the centerpiece of Qualcomm's new Virtual Reality Development Kit.

Continue Reading

LG and Qualcomm are teaming up on 5G and connected cars, with joint trials of Cellular-V2X set to kick off in 2018. One of a number of so-called "C2X" - or "Car-to-X" - offshoots, which includes car-to-car, car-to-pedestrian, and car-to-infrastructure, Cellular-V2X explores using cellular modems to bring vehicles into an inter-communicating mesh. Most importantly for Qualcomm, it's one of the key use-cases for 5G.

Continue Reading