Soon after launching the low-end Snapdragon 212, 412, and 616 processors for mobile devices, Qualcomm has announced the next generation Adreno 5xx lineup of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). The first GPU units will be Adreno 510 and 530, and will be available with upcoming devices running the Snapdragon 820 chipset, by early 2016.
The new GPUs will also be featured alongside the cheaper Snapdragon 620/618 chipsets, which are in the pipeline. The new GPUs will perform upto 40% faster than the previous flagship, the Adreno 430 GPU. They will also consume 40% less power in comparison to the Adreno 430, and packs higher graphics and API computing capabilities, including OpenGL ES 3.1+ AEP, Renderscript, OpenCL 2.0, and Vulkan standards (which enables multi-threaded processor performance on mobile devices). The higher performance output with simultaneous lower power consumption has been achieved by improved fine-grain power management and new rendering, compositing and compression techniques.
Qualcomm has claimed Spectra ISP to be the “most advanced” dual-ISP unit for mobile platform to have been made till date. The 14-bit dual-ISPs process more natural skin tones with upto three simultaneous cameras, 25-megapixel resolution and 30 frames per second shooting with “zero” shutter lag. Qualcomm Spectra also features hybrid autofocus framework and algorithm supporting multi-sensor fusion, thereby processing higher quality image data obtained from sensors, at a faster pace. It also has lesser noise production in low light exposure, and improved power consumption.
Vice-President of Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies, Tim Leland, stated in the press release, "We’re significantly enhancing the visual processing capabilities of Snapdragon to support next-generation user experiences related to computational photography, computer vision, virtual reality and photo-realistic graphics on mobile devices, all while maximizing battery life. Qualcomm Spectra ISP, together with our Adreno 5xx-class GPU, brings an entirely new level of imaging to smartphones, and is designed to allow Snapdragon-powered devices to capture ultra-clear, vivid photos and videos regardless of motion and lighting conditions and display them with the color accuracy that nature intended. In addition, as emerging growth segments such as automotive demand more immersive visual experiences, Snapdragon 820 will enable the next generation of infotainment, computer vision and advanced processing for instrument clusters."
While data and release date information is scarce regarding the Snapdragon 820, Qualcomm’s declaration of featuring the new ISP and GPUs within the first half of 2016 hints that Snapdragon 820-powered smartphones will possibly be unveiled at next year’s Mobile World Congress. The recently launched Snapdragon 212, 414 and 616 chipsets may be seen in lower-rung smartphones earlier than the Snapdragon 820.
Source: Qualcomm