Until recently, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 and 400 tiers were marked with significant performance downgrades coming from the standard Snapdragon 800 series. But with the continued upgrading of mobile data infrastructure worldwide and the demand for better processor performance, Qualcomm is releasing four new chipsets – the Snapdragon 620, 618, 425, and 415 – with upgraded processor sets and high-speed LTE connectivity.
The new Snapdragon 425 and 415 are clearly the surprises in this package. The 425 integrates Qualcomm’s new X8 LTE modem which allows for burst download speeds of up to 300Mbps. The 415 has the X5 LTE modem which allows for download speeds of up to 150Mbps. That both new processors have LTE connectivity is a real first for the Snapdragon 400 series.
With an octa-core processor filled with 64-bit capable ARM Cortex-A53 cores, the Snapdragon 425 figures to be the new darling of manufacturers of mid-tier devices. The Snapdragon 415 isn’t so bad either, with the same processor setup and a slight lower – but more affordable – LTE modem, this will give budget phones a shot at LTE connectivity as well.
The higher-end Snapdragon 620 and 618 will be a tantalizing option for manufacturers who want to place their devices just below the top tier. Both come with the X8 LTE modem for fast LTE speeds. The 620 features an octa-core set up with ARM Cortex-A72 cores, while the 618 features a unique hexa-core processor with dual Cortex-A72 cores pared with quad Cortex-A53 cores.
Aside from these, the new cores feature better camera handling – allowing for twin 13MP cameras in a device. There now will also be 4K video capture for the new Snapdragon 600 series chipsets, the first time this has been made available in this tier. Qualcomm expects to see these new chipsets in devices at the latter half of 2015. As more devices go for these new chipsets, we can start getting a feel of how they perform.
