Qualcomm Snapdragon 415 vs 425 vs 618 vs 620: specs comparison

Qualcomm Snapdragon 415 vs 425 vs 618 vs 620: specs comparison

Qualcomm just unveiled its newest batch of chipsets - the Snapdragon 415, 425, 618, and 620. As usual with processors, a surplus of numbers usually drown us and one can easily get lost among all the specs. That's why we decided to treat you to a straightforward representation of the specs sheets that Qualcomm has provided. In the first table right below, you can see some of the more important specs of the new range of chipsets.

Moving on to the rest of the specs sheets, we get to compare the LTE connectivity capabilities of Qualcomm's newest. Judging from the specs, all of these (save for the Snapdragon 415) are pretty even-stevens.

We are not done yet, mind you. The rest of the connectivity features of Qualcomm newest have not slipped under our noses. As you can see, the two Snapdragon 400 representatives are endowed with similar features, and so are the ones of the 600 series.

Last, but certainly not least, we have put together the video/display capabilities of the new chipsets. Just as expected, the brand-new Snapdragon 620 is the most potent of the bunch, as it is able to record 4K video at 30 frames per second as well as 1080p one at no more than 120fps. It also supports two image signal processors (both of which can be up to 21MP in size). The show-stopping feature is its ZSL support - ZSL, if you don't know, stands for "zero shutter lag" and allows you to take a picture as soon as you tap the shutter button. Yoursalephones

Qualcomm says new 2K resolution smartphones are coming full speed ahead

Qualcomm says new 2K resolution smartphones are coming full speed ahead

Ultra-high resolution display lovers, rejoice! According to your faithful Qualcomm, whose chipsets have made shooting and streaming 4K video possible on your smartphones possible, there will be many more 2K resolution handsets coming around the block. Speaking to TrustedReviews, Qualcomm VP of Marketing Tim McDonaugh said that we will "see more 2K displays on handsets really soon". He didn't mention which manufacturers will be riding the high-res ship, but he did acknowledge that "China as a market tends to be very specs-driven, so there are tonnes of 2K phones available there already, and of course the LG G3 is 2K."

Well, "tonnes" is stretching it a little bit, but Mr. McDonaugh is right for the most part. While his statements are purposefully vague, we interpret them as a hint that 2K screens will be the norm in flagship smartphones this year. Which will be pretty terrific, seeing that the technology to ensure their adequate performance and battery life is already on the market. Then again, executives from HTC, Huawei, and Sony have openly spoken against 1440x2560 resolution displays and their questionable worth. Then again, Qualcomm used to preach against octa-core processors while MediaTek was flaunting them, but before long, the Snapdragon 810 and Snapdragon 615 became reality.

As display vendors such as Samsung have perfected 2K displays and are cooking up 4K displays for production as early as next year, McDonaugh didn't escape the question of whether the next resolution tier is coming. He admitted that "we still have to figure out the form factor where there is a true user benefit for 4K [resolution]", adding that "4K screens are moving more quickly on tablets" while "phones are probably more in the future". With most of you around here having experienced a 2K display in person, we believe we can all agree that 4K on smartphones will be quite overkill for anything other than watching ultra high-resolution content in native resolution. Yoursalephones

Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor runs cooler than the Snapdragon 801

Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor runs cooler than the Snapdragon 801

Besides offering faster performance while using less energy, a test conducted on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 shows that the 64-bit processor actually runs cooler than the Snapdragon 801. Keep in mind that most handsets throttle performance so as to keep the temperature of its skin under 45 degrees Celsius. Room temperature is roughly 25 degrees Celsius. That gives us a targeted range for a chip of 25 degrees to 45 degrees Celsius.

A Snapdragon 801, the chip used on some of 2014's flagship devices like the HTC One (M8) and the Samsung Galaxy S5, runs hotter than the new 64-bit Snapdragon 810. The skin temperature of a Snapdragon 801 powering a commercial handset running racing game Asphalt 8 ran up against the high end of that range twenty minutes into game play. On the other hands, a Snapdragon 810 playing the same game for the same amount of time on a non-commercial handset showed a skin temp 5 degrees lower.

The difference is even more pronounced when measuring the temperature of both processors while capturing video on the respective handsets. A cooler running Snapdragon 810 means a better performing smartphone with a longer battery life. The chip will be used in most Android flagships this year including the HTC One (M9) and the LG G4. Despite talk about the chip overheating, other tests have shown it to be a cooler running component. That has been seconded by LG as the manufacturer calls it one of the coolest processors it has tested. Source

Intel powered Asus ZenFone 2 to get two siblings powered by Qualcomm and MediaTek

Intel powered Asus ZenFone 2 to get two siblings powered by Qualcomm and MediaTek

The Asus ZenFone 2 features a 5.5-inch screen powered by a quad-core Intel Atom Z3580 CPU with Android 5.0 pre-installed. The handset is the first to offer 4GB of RAM, which is being matched by the Xiaomi Mi Note Pro. Expected to be launched next month, the ZenFone 2 is the sequel to the successful Asus ZenFone. The manufacturer shipped 4.5 million units of the OG ZenFone phablet during the fourth quarter of 2014.

For 2015, Asus hopes to double its smartphone shipments to 17 million. The ZenFone 2 is one of the models it is counting on to get there. To make the device even more popular, Asus announced today that it has decided to add two new variants of the phone. One will be a lower priced model coming in the second quarter featuring an unannounced Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC. The third version of the ZenFone 2 will be powered by a MediaTek chipset and aimed at emerging markets like India, where 3G use is prevalent. This model will be released in the second half of the year.

As we noted, the Intel powered Asus ZenFone 2 will be released next month. The first countries to have it available will be Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, China and France. In April, the launch extends to the U.S., Italy, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. No latter than May, the device should reach Japan with a version for Brazil expected to launch in June. Source

After paying the piper in China, Qualcomm may be facing a similar shakedown in South Korea

After paying the piper in China, Qualcomm may be facing a similar shakedown in South Korea

A number of companies with foreign operations in China have been coming under scrutiny over “anti-trust” issues or allegations of monopolistic business practices. Microsoft is currently getting plenty of attention at the moment, but Qualcomm has emerged from over a year of “investigations” alleged price-fixing, resulting in the company agreeing to a $1 billion settlement.

The fine is not going to break the company, but the whole affair has prompted Qualcomm to adjust its earnings forecast down a little bit for the year.

Now that China is settled however, it appears South Korea may be next in line to consider Qualcomm’s dominance in the market for an investigation. There was no comment from South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission, but local media is reporting that an investigation is already underway, focusing on whether Qualcomm’s collection of royalty payments for its patents violated Korean anti-trust regulations.

Unfortunately, South Korea is certainly not going to be the last market to bring up this issue in the wake of Qualcomm’s capitulation to China. The settlement with China is sure to swing the gates open in other markets where Qualcomm is successful. The deal in China had little to do with Qualcomm’s actual chips, but the licensing fees where Qualcomm makes most of its revenue, and that is where South Korea is apparently looking to make a grab.

What does this mean to the other companies under investigation in China? We suspect it may depend on how big a check they have to write. Just as in China, Qualcomm is highly successful in Korea, and around the world. That seems to be the common denominator, and may be the common attraction for other “investigations.”  Source

Qualcomm complies: pays $1 billion to settle antitrust dispute in China

Qualcomm complies: pays $1 billion to settle antitrust dispute in China

Yesterday, we talked about Qualcomm having a bit of trouble with the Chinese government – namely, the chip maker has been under a 14-month antitrust investigation, looking into price fixing practices and abuse of its position on the market. The odds were that the case is about to be closed, with Qualcomm being obliged to pay a $975 million fine, as well as lower the rates of royalties it has been collecting for patents, used within the country, by around a third. Well, within hours after these news, Reuters reported that Qualcomm has agreed to the terms, and will be obliging to the terms fully.

Weep not for the silicon slinger, though – while this is a record-breaking fine, Qualcomm is fully aware of what the Chinese market means to it – half of its $26.5 billion revenue has been earned there. Furthermore, being able to freely operate in the country will allow Qualcomm to better meet up-and-comers, such as MediaTek, who has slowly been gaining grounds in the lower range markets.

The whole ordeal caused Qualcomm to drop its yearly forecasts to between $3.57 - $3.76 per share, from $4.04 - $4.34 per share, however, when the fine and one-time expenses are excluded, the company raises the lower end of its previous forecast – from $4.75 - $5.05 per share, to $4.85 - $5.05 per share.

So, Qualcomm will pay a $975 million fine and will, from now on, calculate its royalty rates in China based on 65% of the phone's selling price. This begs the question – will such cases follow in Europe and in the US, seeing as Qualcomm will continue to collect full royalties in these regions? Source

Qualcomm confirms a major customer has ditched the Snapdragon 810

Qualcomm confirms a major customer has ditched the Snapdragon 810

It’s been a while since we’ve seen a processor discussed as much as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810. The chip has been a consistently in the news for all the wrong reasons, and today the company may have confirmed one of the rumors surrounding its new 64-bit chip.

Word around the old rumor mill has it that Samsung has opted out of using the Snapdragon 810 in the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S6. One would assume the same would apply to the Galaxy S Edge and any other high-end handset the company would release this year. Nothing has been confirmed, but today Qualcomm issued a statement that pretty much said what we already knew.

In Qualcomm’s most recent financial report, the company stated that the Snapdragon 810 “will not be in the upcoming design cycle of a large customer’s flagship device” which has cut into their expected revenue for the year. Obviously, they didn’t name the company in questions, but it isn’t LG as they’re using the chip in the LG G Flex 2 and we assume the LG G4 as well. We’re pretty sure it isn’t Sony or HTC either…

It’s safe to say that the “large customer” is indeed Samsung, and if true it’s certainly going to impact Qualcomm this year. Samsung puts out a lot of devices, and their flagship models always sell well even if not quite up to Sammy’s standards. Either way, we’ll find out what lies inside the Galaxy S6 in a month at MWC. Source

Qualcomm: Snapdragon 810 won't power "a large customer's flagship device" - is that the Galaxy S6?

Qualcomm: Snapdragon 810 won't power "a large customer's flagship device" - is that the Galaxy S6?

Qualcomm today announced its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2015, posting revenues of $7.1 billion, and a net income of $2.1 billion. All's well here, but the chipmaker also said that it had lowered its outlook for the second half of fiscal 2015. One of the reasons for this is the "expectation that our Snapdragon 810 processor will not be in the upcoming design cycle of a large customer's flagship device."

Qualcomm doesn't provide further details on the issue, but we recently heard that Samsung would drop the Snapdragon 810 from its upcoming Galaxy S6 flagship - not because the 810 overheats, but simply because Samsung seemingly wants the new handset to be exclusively powered by its own octa-core, 14nm Exynos 7420 processor. Today's announcement from Qualcomm can probably be seen as a confirmation: the Snapdragon 810 and the Galaxy S6 won't roll together.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 is already being used by LG (in its G Flex 2) and Xiaomi (in its Mi Note Pro). Other big smartphone makers will almost surely also rely on the 810 in the near future, though it's unlikely that any of them will order as many chipsets as Samsung would have done for its S6 (which, of course, is expected to reach millions of units sold in no time).

The good news, if we may put it this way, is that many Samsung fans don't seem to care about the fact that the S6 won't use Qualcomm's processor. Source