Qualcomm presenta i suoi nuovi chip per dispositivi mobili e promette prestazioni fino al 75% maggiori del Nexus 4

Qualcomm è già da qualche mese protagonista con il suo SoC APQ8064 dei principali top di gamma Android (Nexus 4, Padfone 2, HTC Butterfly, Sony Xperia Z e altri), ma questo non significa che voglia lasciare tutte le luci del CES al rivale nVidia, sebbene la sua presentazione sia stata meno pomposa di quella del rivale. Ecco dunque a voi gli Snapdragon 600 e Snapdragon 800, che ovviamente promettono entrambi scintille.

Iniziamo dalla serie 600, che dovrebbe arrivare sui primi dispositivi entro il secondo trimestre del 2013 e che appare come una naturale evoluzione del già citato APQ8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro:

• CPU: quad-core Krait 300 fino a 1,9 GHz per core
• GPU: Adreno 320
• RAM: supporto LPDDR3
• Prestazioni: fino al 40% superiori allo Snapdragon S4 Pro

Le differenze maggiori, almeno sulla carta, sono quindi nel lato computazionale, dato che la GPU sembra rimanere invariata: in ogni caso il 40% in più di un Nexus 4 non è poca cosa, anche se tradurre le percentuali in esperienza quotidiana non è sempre immediato.

Inutile dirlo, la serie 800 sarà ancor più sorprendente:

• CPU: quad-core Krait 400 fino a 2,3 GHz per core
• GPU: Adreno 330
• RAM: supporo per 2x32bit LPDDR3 a 800 MHz
• Rete: 4G LTE Cat 4 e 802.11ac
• Risoluzione supportata: cattura, riproduzione e display in UltraHD  (4096 × 2304)
• Audio: supporto per DTS-HD, Dolby Digital Plus e 7.1 surround
• Fotocamera: Dual Image Signal Processors (ISPs) fino a 55 megapixel
• Prestazioni: fino al 75% superiori allo Snapdragon S4 Pro

Come vedete siamo su un livello drasticamente superiore e la cosa strana, ma positiva, è che Qualcomm afferma che vedremo i primi modelli commerciali basati sulla serie 800 verso metà 2013, quindi praticamente in contemporanea alla serie 600. La legge di Moore insomma colpisce ancora, anche troppo.

New Snapdragon 800 and 600 Processors Represent a Significant Performance Leap For High-End Mobile Computing Devices

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 7, 2013/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., is sampling the first products in its latest generation of processors.

With the introduction of its newest Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 800 and 600 processors, Qualcomm continues to lead the industry by once again raising the bar on performance per watt and delivering unparalleled user experiences.

The new Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors target premium mobile and computing devices. They are designed to deliver outstanding overall user experience, expand the possibilities of seamless connected computing and enable brand new mobile experiences while maintaining industry-leading battery performance:

Visually stunning mobile experiences : Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors include the new quad core Krait 400 CPU, Adreno™ 330 GPU, Hexagon v5 DSP and our latest 4G LTE Cat 4 modem and deliver increased system performance and platform upgrades that further enhance user experience.

• The Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors will deliver up to 75 percent better performance than the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and the move to 28nm High Performance for mobile (HPm) technology node ensures exceptionally low power
• New Krait 400 CPU in quad configuration, with speeds of up to 2.3 GHz per core offers best-in-class performance per watt, so processor performance can hold up to the more demanding processing and communication requirements of premium mobile devices
• Additionally, asynchronous SMP architecture provides dynamic power sensing and control for peak performance per core, while extending battery life without the use of specialized cores
• New Adreno 330 GPU delivers more than 2x performance for compute applications over the current Adreno 320 GPU
• 2x32bit LP-DDR3 at 800MHz with industry-leading memory bandwidth of 12.8GBps
• New Hexagon DSP V5 delivers floating point support, dynamic multithreading and expanded multimedia instructions for enhanced low power performance
• New IZat ™ location technology combines multiple tracking systems into a single high performance, highly accurate navigation platform for auto and pedestrian applications

Seamless communications anytime, anywhere : Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors offer fully integrated connectivity and a wide variety of communication options.

• Third generation 4G LTE modem with data rates up to 150 Mbps (Category 4), fully integrated in the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors
• 4G LTE Advanced Carrier Aggregation feature to maximize radio frequency bandwidth
• World multimode and multi-band support using wafer level package (WTR1605)
• Integrated newest generation mobile Wi-Fi connectivity, 802.11ac
• Broad connectivity support with integrated USB 3.0, Bluetooth and FM

Breakthrough multimedia experiences : The Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors also introduce the very latest mobile experiences.

• Capture, playback and display in UltraHD video (with four times 1080p pixel density)
• Dual Image Signal Processors (ISP) for Qualcomm Snapdragon Camera with support for computational camera
• HD multichannel audio with DTS-HD and Dolby Digital Plus for enhanced audio
• Higher display resolutions (up to 2560x2048) and Miracast 1080p HD support

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors are currently sampling and expected to be available in commercial devices by mid-year 2013.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor targets high-end mobile devices. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor is designed to deliver great performance, rich graphics and enhanced user experience and will deliver up to 40 percent better performance than the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor at lower power. The new processor offers system-wide architectural improvements, key component upgrades and expanded connectivity options. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor features a new Krait 300 quad-core CPU with speeds up to 1.9GHz, a new speed enhanced Adreno 320 GPU and support for LPDDR3 memory. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor is sampling now and is expected to be available in commercial devices by second quarter 2013.

"With the overwhelming success of our previous Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms, our mobile processors have emerged as the platform of choice for high-end mobile devices," said Steve Mollenkopf, president and chief operating officer of Qualcomm. "With more than 50 design wins already secured with the first products of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 and 800 processors, we are advancing our vision and setting the standard for excellence in mobile computing.

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For more information and to see a demonstration of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors, as well as the newest devices powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, please visit Qualcomm during CES 2013 (South Hall 3, Upper Level, Booth #30313), Jan. 8-11 in Las Vegas or visit www.qualcomm.com/snapdragon .

About Qualcomm Incorporated

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) is the world leader in 3G, 4G and next-generation wireless technologies. Qualcomm Incorporated includes Qualcomm's licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of its patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of Qualcomm's engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of its products and services businesses, including its semiconductor business, QCT. For more than 25 years, Qualcomm ideas and inventions have driven the evolution of digital communications, linking people everywhere more closely to information, entertainment and each other. For more information, visit Qualcomm's website , OnQ blog , Twitter and Facebook pages.

Except for the historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the Company's ability to successfully design and have manufactured significant quantities of Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 and Snapdragon 800 processors on a timely and profitable basis, the extent and speed to which the Snapdragon platform is adopted, change in economic conditions of the various markets the Company serves, as well as the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including the report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2012, and most recent Form 10-Q.

Qualcomm, Adreno and Snapdragon are trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated, registered in the United States and other countries. All Qualcomm Incorporated trademarks are used with permission. Other products or brand names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.