This is the second day of the 2019 Qualcomm Snapdragon Tech Summit and it was spent doing a deep-dive into the features of Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 865 and Snapdragon 765/765G. The new mobile platforms are impressive and, best of all, we expect devices built on these new platforms to be available later in the first quarter of 2020.
According to Qualcomm, the new Snapdragon 865 Mobile Platform “delivers the best 5G mobile experiences for next-generation flagship devices.” That’s a bold claim but as they dug into what the new platform can do it became increasingly clear that they aren’t kidding.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Mobile Platform,combines the world’s most advanced 5G Modem-RF System with the world’s most advanced mobile platform designed to deliver the unmatched connectivity and performance required for the next generation of flagship devices.
Power users will be pleased to know that the new Qualcomm Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System that is part of the Snapdragon 865 Mobile Platform is fast! How fast you ask? According to Qualcomm, it can provide peak speeds of up to 7.5 Gbps. That means that, under ideal conditions, it surpasses most wired connections. If that won’t transform the mobile experience nothing will.
In addition, the Qualcomm’s 5th generation AI Engine and new Qualcomm Sensing Hub that is part of the Snapdragon 865 Mobile Platform are smarter than ever and “provide more intelligence and personalization than ever before.”
But the new platform isn’t just about raw power and AI. The Snapdragon 865 also includes a speedy Qualcomm Spectra 480 Image Signal Processor (ISP). Smartphone cameras have seen huge improvements in recent years and this new processor will be a nice compliment to recent hardware enhancements. In addition to bringing new features to mobile photography and videography, it offers speeds of up to 2 gigapixels per second.
Finally, Qualcomm knew that they needed to do more than merely satisfy power users and mobile photographers. The mobile gaming community is huge and, thanks to the new Snapdragon platform, they are going to be a happy lot. An array of brand-new Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gaming features will deliver desktop-quality gaming and ultra-realistic graphics on the go. That is accomplished thanks to a next-generation Qualcomm Kryo 585 CPU that delivers up to 25% performance improvement, and a new Qualcomm Adreno 650 GPU that offers up to 25% overall performance boost compared to the previous generations. Together, these technologies will deliver blazing fast processing power when the next generation of flagship devices arrives in a few months.
When announcing the new Snapdragon 865, Alex Katouzian, senior vice president and general manager, mobile, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc observed,
Snapdragon 865 supports the world’s most advanced 5G connectivity and features, raising the bar for what a mobile device should be. It’s the culmination of Qualcomm’s more than 30 years of wireless leadership and innovation.”
Qualcomm describes the benefits of the Snapdragon 865 as including:
- The World’s Most Advanced 5G Mobile Platform: The Snapdragon 865 is the most advanced 5G mobile platform ever. Its Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System is the world’s first commercial modem-to-antenna 5G solution for consistent, lightning-fast speeds across the board—with peak speeds of up to 7.5 Gbps. The introduction of Qualcomm aptX Voice makes Snapdragon 865 the first mobile platform to wirelessly support Super Wide Band (SWB) voice over Bluetooth for a new class of crystal clear audio, in addition to aptX Adaptive and Qualcomm TrueWireless Stereo Plus, thereby reducing latency, increasing battery life and improving link resilience for wireless headphones and earbuds.
- 5th Generation Qualcomm AI Engine: The new 5th generation Qualcomm AI Engine and new AI software tools pack incredible performance for the latest camera, audio, and gaming experiences. It delivers a whopping 15 TOPS of AI performance, which is 2x more powerful than its predecessor. Then, there are real-time translations using AI—your phone can translate your speech into a foreign language in both text and speech.
- Gigapixel Speed ISP: The Snapdragon 865’s ISP operates at staggering speeds of up to 2 gigapixels per second and provides brand-new camera features and capabilities. You can capture in 4K HDR with over a billion shades of color, capture 8K video, or snap massive 200-megapixel photos. In tandem with the 5th generation Qualcomm AI Engine, the gigapixel speed ISP can quickly and intelligently identify different backgrounds, people, and objects, so they can be treated individually for a truly customized photo.
- Desktop-quality Gaming: Snapdragon 865 unlocks brand new and first-to-mobile premium features to deliver ultra-smooth gaming experiences with the highest graphics quality in the next generation of Snapdragon Elite Gaming. The gameplay is now optimized to the micro-second level with the Snapdragon Game Performance Engine, providing adaptive and predictive real-time system tuning for sustained performance over longer periods of time.
In short, the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Platform is yet another leap forward in speed and performance. If you think the current crop of flagship smartphones are fast you, as they say, ain’t seen nothing yet. We’re excited to check them out a bit later today, and I’m looking forward to Q1 when we’ll have the chance to review some of the new speed demons smartphones based around the new Snapdragon 865 Platform.
These tweets captured the day’s news …
Qualcomm finalized the definition of the Snapdragon 865 in 2017 and started working on the IP in 2016. These things take a long time. Here’s how long. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/enqMp7lvYb
— Sascha 5Gan (@saschasegan) December 4, 2019
The timeline for development of @Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 took place at time when Nintendo Switch and Tesla Model 3 were new, and yet the capabilities that are coming today address all sorts of cutting edge features. 200+ Megapixel still images, 5G, 8K video. #snapdragonsummit pic.twitter.com/41XqdcGmUW
— Jeremy Horwitz (@horwitz) December 4, 2019
Day 2 at the @Qualcomm #SnapdragonSummit. This year’s 865 chip has been development for 4 years! pic.twitter.com/28KxAhGQty
— Michael Josh (@michaeljosh) December 4, 2019
In year 1, @Qualcomm defines exactly what the chip will do, and what they want the chip to achieve. In the case of the #Snapdragon865 this includes wanting to achieve 8K video. #snapdragonsummit pic.twitter.com/wBXFYrws9i
— Nirave ??? (@nirave) December 4, 2019
It’s funny how the things we take for granted are the things that have been plotted down to the nth degree to provide the best possible solutions. 3 years and 10,000 engineers were needed to bring the Snapdragon 865 to life! All that matters to us – it works! ? #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/hhYQtDVg0a
— Judie Lipsett Stanford ? (@geardiary) December 4, 2019
Other wireless improvements: 2x range for true wireless earbuds. Super-HQ wireless voice for headsets that support it. And, of course, Wi-Fi 6. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/FfGk7qP257
— Sascha 5Gan (@saschasegan) December 4, 2019
Sustained performance is our goal, and sustained performance is what we lead in; sustained performance is important for leadership in mobile and it’s important for XR. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/MSXtUI2lTC
— Judie Lipsett Stanford ? (@geardiary) December 4, 2019
Consistency in GPU performance is our goal – it’s what gamers demand, and it’s where we have leadership. Not just about one-off benchmark results. Keith Kressin #Snapdragon865 #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/xjJkZZviXl
— Mark Giles (@markgiles99) December 4, 2019
The CPU details #Snapdragon865 #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/o6xwbtQ8nx
— Varun Krishnan (@varunkrish) December 4, 2019
The CPU details #Snapdragon865 #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/o6xwbtQ8nx
— Varun Krishnan (@varunkrish) December 4, 2019
Processing power and AI details: #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/1ibiMDzxJJ
— GadgetsBoy (@GadgetsBoy) December 4, 2019
@KeithKressin on stage at #SnapdragonSummit providing details on Snapdragon 865! Look at these specs for memory and AI! Great for high concurrency of workloads of perception algorithms and rendering needed for XR viewers attached to 5G smartphones! pic.twitter.com/FYuAf3HMaH
— Hugo Swart (@HugoSwart_QCOM) December 4, 2019
A lot of midrange phones in 2020 will have one important thing that the premium phones won’t — a chip inside designed to give you longer battery life and affordable 5G https://t.co/Ju2BMzJuzj By @sharatibken @CNET #SnapdragonSummit
— Jessica Dolcourt (@jdolcourt) December 4, 2019
Mobile drivers license and ID will be possible with Android R with Snapdragon 865! Leave your wallet at home, even when you travel? This would have come in handy that time I forgot my wallet and realized it AT the airport. I hadn’t forgetten my phone, tho. ? #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/QyR05YliTq
— Judie Lipsett Stanford ? (@geardiary) December 4, 2019
The Pixel 4’s on device speech to text, which I am using at this show, is the coolest feature of Qualcomm’s AI processing I’ve seen so far. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/ccnXIpaKPN
— Sascha 5Gan (@saschasegan) December 4, 2019
OMG the @Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 is doing live on device translation to Chinese. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/MB3DCQmPXV
— Sascha 5Gan (@saschasegan) December 4, 2019
Ziad Asghar talking about #AI now. Common uses already: passive music detection, voice to text, face detection, etc.
So where do we go from here?#SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/6LIWFNdDLz— Olivier Blanchard (@OABlanchard) December 4, 2019
Why do you need a “2x improvement in AI performance”? Well, real-time, offline voice transcription and translation is just one example. #SnapdragonSummit #Snapdragon865 pic.twitter.com/4bOoGNK4Zi
— Tech2 (@tech2eets) December 4, 2019
Ok, this is COOL: With the Snapdragon 865, you can do simultaneous voice processing to text AND translation to another language ALL ON THE DEVICE! No cloud needed. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/LL0ld5gsrm
— Karl Freund (@karlfreund) December 4, 2019
Performance benchmarks showing the superiority of the Snapdragon 865’s AI capabilities. And this is just the hardware.
Featured in these pics: Operations per second, peak performance (inferences per second), and power consumption. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/fTCfmq2ohr— Olivier Blanchard (@OABlanchard) December 4, 2019
The new architecture of the Hexagon inside the @Qualcomm #Snapdragon 865 incorporates multiple sub-components that ultimately translate into 15 TOPS performance, a bit more than 2x over the previous generation. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/fji3xyvgn9
— Bob O’Donnell (@bobodtech) December 4, 2019
This is a powerful slide from @Qualcomm that sums up the #Snapdragon865 nicely. Snapdragon 865 delivers 5x the performace of the three year old Snapdragon 845. Great news for those that don’t buy a flagship phone yearly. 15 TOPS!!! #SnapdragonSummit #Snapdragon pic.twitter.com/PPyn1gRuiu
— Nathan Kirsch (@LegitReviews) December 4, 2019
At #snapdragonsummit, @Qualcomm says over 25 partners (including big names) are working with Qualcomm on AI-optimized apps. The company wants to make complex AI tasks easier with cloud and mobile device neural processing. pic.twitter.com/hgOgHgSZfD
— Jeremy Horwitz (@horwitz) December 4, 2019
AI powers Snapchat filters. The Snapdragon 865 uses the Hexagon DSP to do 30fps, filtered recording – not possible before. Goes from 10fps on CPU to 30fps on DSP. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/t4gA7eXHWQ
— Sascha 5Gan (@saschasegan) December 4, 2019
https://t.co/jVJMdTk4bQ is a powerful way for people to be present in live video and video conferencing. So no need to do makeup & hair? Where do I sign up?! “It’s another way to be present and emotionally connected.” Loomitalk is like FaceTime for avatars. ? #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/1uOLIJKkte
— Judie Lipsett Stanford ? (@geardiary) December 4, 2019
As an X’er, I am less excited about the use of expressive avatars for presence in virtual meetings than some, but the quality of the animation, expression detection, and mirroring is impressive nonetheless. Well done. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/UrrjYmRnos
— Olivier Blanchard (@OABlanchard) December 4, 2019
On to photography ? #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/UVWJSdwC4s
— Jon Lamont (@Jon_Lamont) December 4, 2019
Qualcomm is powering the most smartphone cameras on the planet #snapdragonsummit pic.twitter.com/cr2US5l9HS
— Judie Lipsett Stanford ? (@geardiary) December 4, 2019
The future of cameras is computational photography, says @Qualcomm at #snapdragonsummit. It’s about multiple lenses working together, AR being added to real locations. Today, phones let people carry 5 cameras everywhere. And Qualcomm powers the most phone cameras on the planet. pic.twitter.com/pnsjoHFThf
— Jeremy Horwitz (@horwitz) December 4, 2019
It’s true, we haven’t seen a lot of phones with standalone macro lenses. Usually this is an integrated camera mode. It’ll be interesting to see how many OEMs other than Xiaomi will take advantage of Snapdragon 865’s support for 200-megapixel photos #SnapdragonSummit https://t.co/SfyUH8XUCP
— Jessica Dolcourt (@jdolcourt) December 4, 2019
Four pixels per clock cycle, slower clock cycle, better thermals #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/eI65VVVCyR
— Rich Woods (@TheRichWoods) December 4, 2019
Gigapixel speed – up to 2 gigapixels per second on the new Spectra 480 ISP.#SnapdragonSummit #Snapdragon865 pic.twitter.com/ApErRDINNq
— HardwareZone (@hardwarezone) December 4, 2019
Snapdragon 865 has a special core for low light image noise reduction. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/ZEPpLyQpW4
— Sascha 5Gan (@saschasegan) December 4, 2019
Noise reduction in videos, something desperately needed on Android #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/CEtYPoTXoe
— Rich Woods (@TheRichWoods) December 4, 2019
Qualcomm on why it’s supporting a 200-megapixel camera: If you want to zoom in and get clear details, the more pixels, the better https://t.co/K00P96kctb #Snapdragon865 #SnapdragonSummit
— Jessica Dolcourt (@jdolcourt) December 4, 2019
Phones using the Snapdragon 865 in 2020 will see big camera upgrades:
Better focus options
Support for up to 200MP sensors
Dedicated cores for better noise reduction, low-light performance
Better pixel processing for cleaner video#snapdragonsummit pic.twitter.com/t6RusjwrUd
— Michael Fisher (@theMrMobile) December 4, 2019
Superstar women in tech shining and lighting up the stage in Maui – @PennyRBaldwin @verizon Nicky palmer and Jesse Seed #DiversityandInclusion #womenintech #snapdragonsummit pic.twitter.com/pgkL7beS44
— andrea hogan (@galwaychic) December 4, 2019
Cool – HEIF file format that Snapdragon 865 uses now includes the depth map — you now can take the original image and add bokeh (portrait mode) after the fact! #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/eyxALPrTXz
— Mark Hachman (@markhachman) December 4, 2019
Supporting the HEIF format allows the #Snapdragon865, aka “the beast”, to store depth maps. That allows for easy manipulation of the image at any time. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/WglgSHiQTm
— Jim McGregor (@TekStrategist) December 4, 2019
Using AI and the advanced ISP, you can now try something called Semantic segmentation – applying various filters to best bring about an optional output. #SnapdragonSummit #Snapdragon865 pic.twitter.com/6CUPgYBqGu
— HardwareZone (@hardwarezone) December 4, 2019
At #snapdragonsummit, Morpho is using AI semantic segmentation to deliver separate photo enhancements to hair, skin, fabric and background. A semantic filter can analyze video or photos to apply effects to different parts of a live image. pic.twitter.com/GcWdmxb9Jl
— Jeremy Horwitz (@horwitz) December 4, 2019
Spectra 480 ISP achieve more power savings by handling 4 pixels per clock cycle #SnapdragonSummit #Snapdragon865 pic.twitter.com/paAHtKCNs5
— tarun pathak (@Tarunpathak) December 4, 2019
Qualcomm is announcing for the first time *ever*, on a smart device equipped with a camera, Dolby Vision for video capture! #snapdragonsummit pic.twitter.com/q4165Xu37M
— Judie Lipsett Stanford ? (@geardiary) December 4, 2019
Demo of Semantic Segmentation. #SnapdragonSummit #Snapdragon865 pic.twitter.com/zlPg6Q1SyT
— HardwareZone (@hardwarezone) December 4, 2019
Future of the smartphone camera. 2 Gigapixel and more… #SnapdragonSummit #Snapdragon865 pic.twitter.com/YM4t3243q5
— Daniel Newman (@danielnewmanUV) December 4, 2019
The camera stuff doesn’t end. @qualcomm is now talking about native 4K 120 Hz video! This opens up a new world of slo-mo to creators. #SnapdragonSummit
— Tech2 (@tech2eets) December 4, 2019
Oh, and how about 4k 120fps capture (and then playback on a 120Hz display)? Sure! You are welcome… #Snapdragon865 #SnapdragonSummit ?#Pixel4XL #telephoto pic.twitter.com/s1pZqT3LRQ
— Myriam Joire (@tnkgrl) December 4, 2019
Snapdragon 865 supports 8K 30fps video capture and 4K 120fps. Also 960fps super slow motion without software interpolation without any time limits. Wow! #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/dlcBMuFszQ
— Raju PP (@rajupp) December 4, 2019
Slow-motion video is always a chore because you wind up having to reshoot a ton of time to get the slow-mo to land where you want it to. Snapdragon 865’s unlimited 960fps recording in 720p means you’ll be able to capture endless slow-mo video and edit later #SnapdragonSummit
— Jessica Dolcourt (@jdolcourt) December 4, 2019
Definitely feel like the camera stuff is the most exciting in the #Snapdragon865 – this is a *lot* of big upgrades all at once #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/ulY2CayS5i
— Dominic Preston (@dompreston) December 4, 2019
At #SnapdragonSummit, @Qualcomm brings out pro gamer @tsm_myth to discuss the transition from PC/console to mobile gaming, citing the value of 144Hz displays and matching refresh rates on mobile for Snapdragon 865. pic.twitter.com/HqfDBML9ko
— Jeremy Horwitz (@horwitz) December 4, 2019
Some crazy numbers on how gaming esp mobile gaming has transformed in the past few years. 4X than digital music @ $68.5Billion. HUGE and it just started #SnapdragonSummit #Snapdragon865 pic.twitter.com/ZJuKPkXjo4
— tarun pathak (@Tarunpathak) December 4, 2019
Talking about millenials and mobile gaming. Its like freedom of playing anywhere anytime #SnapdragonSummit #Snapdragon865 pic.twitter.com/yYG6MNLCDC
— tarun pathak (@Tarunpathak) December 4, 2019
Rising mobile gaming usage will drive innovation in smartphones. 80% of gamers in China want specialised gaming phones, according to a Qualcomm study. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/T15TzPxerq
— James Joiner (@jameswjoiner) December 4, 2019
What it means to have Qualcomm Elite Gaming. #SnapdragonSummit #Snapdragon865 pic.twitter.com/3dkyFUjjVy
— HardwareZone (@hardwarezone) December 4, 2019
Qualcomm announces 144Hz mobile displays, a first! No compromises; you can have the same display Hz you have on your desk in your pocket. Game Color Plus will enhance all the games you currently play in real time, right on your device. Gamers are all ?. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/tehSl11Arl
— Judie Lipsett Stanford ? (@geardiary) December 4, 2019
Yeah. This isn’t vaporware. Elite Gaming on mobile is getting serious now. The Snapdragon 865 platform powers that too. What’s new:
– Up to 120fps gaming
– 144Hz displays
– True 10-bit HDR gaming.
All coming to Android phones in 2020.
? (mind blown again)#SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/jOOh5NYgbj— Olivier Blanchard (@OABlanchard) December 4, 2019
Qualcomm not forgetting gamers – says accounts for a whopping 43% of smartphone use. #Snapdragon865 will support 144Hz displays and improved HDR performance. #SnapdragonSummit
— Mark Giles (@markgiles99) December 4, 2019
For the first time deskstop level features in mobile gaming with updateable GPU drivers and desktop forward rendering to create more cinematic version of depth of field and using multiple dynamic lights and blending them together #SnapdragonSummit #Snapdragon865 #gaming pic.twitter.com/jsQap5NaBh
— tarun pathak (@Tarunpathak) December 4, 2019
Yet another feature called Desktop Forward Rendering will allow for more realistic and immersive graphics. This includes features like realistic depth of field that mimic the properties of an actual camera. #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/oZa9gcmPM9
— Tech2 (@tech2eets) December 4, 2019
Thanks to the improved and more GPU cores, more realistic graphics equivalent to desktop graphics processing will now be possible. #Snapdragon865 #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/XDBto5alOd
— HardwareZone (@hardwarezone) December 4, 2019
All the deets.#SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/U4OVKj5jeO
— Avi Greengart (@greengart) December 4, 2019
Next-level:
?Place a call to someone who doesn’t speak your language
?Speak into your phone
?Speech gets translated to text
?Text gets translated into their language & converted back to speech
?Your speech comes out their side in their language!
— Michael Fisher (@theMrMobile) December 4, 2019
I “wooo”-ed!! ? https://t.co/OOvtuEStIt pic.twitter.com/TnibcwIsop
— Judie Lipsett Stanford ? (@geardiary) December 4, 2019
Hanging out with @tsm_myth at the #snapdragonsummit #eSports pic.twitter.com/K9CJyyx6L9
— Helena Stone (@HelenaStone) December 4, 2019
We’re holding the #snapdragon865 and #snapdragon765. 2020 just got a lot more interesting! #sponsoredtravel #SnapdragonSummit pic.twitter.com/ZQfBMPgEEP
— Judie Lipsett Stanford ? (@geardiary) December 4, 2019
#SnapdragonSummit ???? https://t.co/XsmQ83z0LW
— Judie Lipsett Stanford ? (@geardiary) December 4, 2019
Disclosure: I am at the Snapdragon Tech Summit as Qualcomm’s guest; they paid for my travel, room, and meals, but there were no conditions or expectations made regarding what I chose to write about regarding my experience.