Qualcomm has announced its new Snapdragon 675 platform at its 4G 5G Mobile Summit 2018 event. The new processor succeeds the Snapdragon 670, which was announced back in August and is yet to be used widely in devices. The new processor brings notable improvements over its predecessor and has been designed to deliver enhanced performance in gaming, photography and using AI-based features. The Snapdragon 675 SoC features a newer architecture with fourth-generation octa-core Kryo 460 CPU, which comes with two high-power cores clocked at 2GHz and six low-power cores that run on 1.7GHz. It can support up to 8GB RAM at 1866 MHz.
The Snapdragon 675 comes with the Qualcomm Kryo 460 CPU, Qualcomm Spectra 250L triple-camera ISP, an improved Qualcomm AI Engine, Qualcomm Hexagon 685 DSP, Adreno 612 GPU and Snapdragon X12 LTE modem. The processor is manufactured using an 11nm LPP process and is targeted at mid-range handsets. Qualcomm says it can boot games 30 percent faster and surfing the web should also be 35 percent faster over its predecessor. The SoC also comes equipped with the Adreno 612 GPU that is said to isolate graphics demanding tasks for improved efficiency.
The processor uses Hexagon 685 DSP that is said to be more refined now. It supplements the processor in delivering smart camera, voice, security and gaming experiences with over 50 percent overall improvements from the previous generation. It also uses the Qualcomm Neural Processing Engine SDK and supports Caffe, Caffee2, Tensorflow, Tensorflow Lite and other framework support. Qualcomm says, “ Enjoy over 50% overall improvements from the previous generation (and up to 3 times the competition), transforming your mobile device into the ultimate personal assistant with enhanced security, face unlock and cool photo style transfers.”
The Snapdragon 675 comes equipped with the Spectra 250L ISP, which features a newer architecture. The ISP can now handle 14-bit processing, capture dynamic visual content at up to 25 megapixels and shoot HD slow-motion videos at up to 480 fps. The ISP also enables the SoC to handle up to three cameras on the front or the back and enables features like 5x optical zoom and Bokeh mode. Additionally, for manufacturers that want unique camera combinations, the ISP supports up to 48MP snapshots, Single 25-Megapixel camera at 30 fps and “Zero” shutter lag, or dual 16MP camera configuration at 30 fps. Similar to the Spectra 250, the Spectra 250L can also connect up to 6 different cameras. It also comes with Multi-frame Noise Reduction (MFNR) with accelerated image stabilization and Hybrid Autofocus with support for dual phase detection (2PD) sensors.
Using the Qualcomm X12 LTE Modem, the new processor can deliver download speeds of up to 600 Mbps with 3x carrier aggregation. It supports Bluetooth 5, features direct audio broadcast to multiple devices, supports ultra-low power earbuds, and also enables Qualcomm aptX, aptX Classic and aptX HD codecs. Devices powered by this new chip are slated to hit the market by Q1 2019.