Snapdragon

Qualcomm's mobile processors usually follow clear lines. The 200 series on the very low end, followed by 400, 600, and then the 800 flagship platform. Things might get a bit hazy if and when the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 comes around. Although part of the lower mid-range line, the still unannounced processor supposedly shares more in common with the higher, though now somewhat outdated, Snapdragon 625, potentially giving birth to a new line of wallet-friendly smartphones that not only perform well but also last longer.

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Samsung's Galaxy Note series has for years been the phone-maker's launch pad for brand new hardware, and on the Galaxy Note 8 that's rumored to include a new processor. The smartphone is expected to launch later in 2017 and hopefully put to rest the flammable reputation of its ill-fated predecessor. While we've seen rumored spec lists for it, now there's word that Samsung and Qualcomm might be working together on something particularly special.

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Intel was never going to be pleased at Microsoft and Qualcomm's plans to run Windows 10 on Snapdragon processors, and now it's dropping heavy hints that it could all end up in court. The latest attempt to squeeze Windows on ARM into the mainstream, the announcement between the software giant and the mobile chipmaker will eventually see processors like the Snapdragon 835 running Windows 10 on models from ASUS, HP, Lenovo, and more. For consumers, that's only going to be a good thing. For Intel, not so much.

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This week Andy Rubin (co-founder of Android) and crew revealed the Essential Phone (with Android inside). They revealed the device with a few details early on in the day, then held a press conference later in the day with a few details on how and when the device would be made available. While the smartphone with Android and a Qualcomm processor under the hood can potentially work with most mobile carriers in the United States, the actual real-world situation is a bit more complicated.

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Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor already features in a few high-end smartphones - the Galaxy S8 and Xperia XZ Premium come to mind - but before long, it'll serve as the brains of Windows 10 PCs as well. Qualcomm announced today that it has partnered with three different PC manufacturers to bring the Snaprdragon 835 to their machines. It certainly sounds like the new Surface Pro is going to have some Snapdragon-flavored competition shortly.

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OnePlus has traditional been non-traditional when it came to marketing. Months before a new smartphone, it usually piles teaser after teaser, drumming up hype for the next big thing. We might be just weeks away from the OnePlus 5, yet the startup has been surprisingly mellow. It is, however, dropping breadcrumbs along the way, like these latest confirmations from OnePlus' top brass themselves, including, to no one's surprise, the OnePlus 5 name and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor.

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In the past, it was usually dirt simple to differentiate between different smartphone tiers based on what features they had or didn't have. Thanks to the affordability of technologies and components, however, those lines are starting to blur. Qualcomm's latest announcement almost erases those lines. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 and 660 are its latest "mid-range" processors, taking over from the 626 and 653, respectively. But to downplay them just because of that label would be a mistake, as these processors empower with mid-range devices with high-end features.

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A Pixel 2 XXL with a Snapdragon 835 chipset and pure Android could take on the Samsung Galaxy S8+ later this year, if tidbits turned up in the code are to be believed. The smartphone is believed to be the third in a three-strong range of Pixel 2 handsets for 2017, and internally codenamed "taimen" in keeping with Google's fondness for fish. While it won't be the first device to reach the market with Qualcomm's latest chipset, there may well be a few reasons why Android fans opt to catch the Pixel 2 XXL and throw back the rest.

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This isn't exactly an earth-shattering revelation. Even if unconfirmed, it is pretty much expected. It is only fitting that Google's premiere smartphones for 2017 will run on Qualcomm's premiere mobile chip platform for 2017. So yes, the Google Pixel 2 will run on the Snapdragon 835, just like any high-end smartphone the second half of the year. Perhaps more interesting, however, are the rumors surrounding these three "by Google" Android smartphones.

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Perhaps there is a perfectly reasonable explanation why Microsoft doesn't seem to be so invested in its Windows 10 Mobile platform or the devices that rely on it. It might, instead, be more interested in getting a full Windows 10 version running on ARM-based devices. Either way, such kinds of devices are really in the works. At least that's what Qualcomm reportedly said at its Q2 2017 earnings call. Though you probably be holding your breath, because even Qualcomm itself doesn't expect things to fall into place until much later this year.

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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.

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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.

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