Qualcomm Snapdragon 855: 6 improvements to wait for Android smartphones 2019

The next Android smartphones will have an ultra-fast 5G connectivity and fingerprint players integrated into the screen.These are only a few of the features made possible by the new Snapdragon 855 processor from Qualcomm.It is engraved with a finesse of 7 nanometers, the most advanced technique currently available, also used by the Apple A12 Bionic chip which equips the new iPhone XS and XS Max.Another novelty of the Snapdragon 855, the Kryo 485 processor based on Cortex technology from Arm.It increases performance up to 45 % compared to Snapdragon 845 from last year.And the new GPU Adreno 640 offers graphics up to 20 % faster.

Qualcomm organise cette semaine son Snapdragon Technology Summit à Maui (Hawaii) où il a convié des partenaires tels que Samsung, OnePlus, Verizon et AT&T à présenter leurs plans pour les appareils et réseaux 5G en 2019.Samsung, for example, announced that it plans to launch a 5G smartphone in the United States during the first half of 2019.It is likely that this phone, and many other high -end models, will use the new Snapdragon 855 chip from Qualcomm.

Almost all the main mobile phones manufacturers work with Qualcomm, with one exception: Apple, which designs its own chips and, due to a legal battle with Qualcomm, is now based on Intel Modems for the Connectivity Party.

But for all the others, the Snapdragon 855 has a lot to offer.It allows you to improve the treatment capacities of the camera, shoot 4K HDR videos and detect who and what is in front of the lens.However, if the capacities of the Snapdragon 855 seem impressive, none of this matters if the manufacturers of phones using the SOC 855 in their premium phones choose not to integrate all other Qualcomm Technos.

The ultrasonic fingerprint reader

The Snapdragon 855 is the first chip to operate with the 3D sonic sensor of Qualcomm, a reader of fingerprints with ultrasound integrated directly into the screen.It will allow the manufacturer to repatriate the fingerprint reader at the front of the phone, while retaining a screen that covers the entire front facade.It is very likely that the Samsung Galaxy S10 uses a fingerprint sensor under the screen.

A portrait mode for video

You already know the portrait mode, which blurs the background to create a depth effect around the subject.Well, the Snapdragon 855 will allow you to do the same with a 4K HDR video and it will be a first.

The system remains locked on the main subject, so you can even replace the background with something else.And despite all the computing power required, Qualcomm claims that his chip is four times more energy efficient than the current generation.

Always about video, smartphones equipped with Snapdragon 855 chips will be able to film Ultra HD at 60 images/second while consuming 30% less energy compared to a 4K video at 30 frames per second filmed with a current processor.

Store many more photos and videos

Telephones equipped with a Snapdragon 855 will be able to take advantage of Heif technology, or High Efficiency Image Format, which reduces photos to half the size of an ordinary JPEG, without losing quality.In addition, the HEIF serves as a container for a variety of images, so that you can store a traditional photo, a raw file, shots in burst mode and a depth card.For example, on a phone equipped with three cameras on the back, you could capture and keep the telephoto, wide angle and super wide angle perspectives and reuse them at any time.Qualcomm has designed SOC 855 to process HEIF files quickly and with low consumption.

Several vocal assistants

Why should you choose between the Google and Alexa assistant if we appreciate both?The Snapdragon 855 will allow telephone manufacturers to support several voice assistants.The integrated AI will also be able to do voice matching, that is to say recognize the voice so that the phone only answers its owner.

Less energy -consuming with video

A new feature of the Snapdragon 855, called Cinema Core, allows you to achieve up to seven times more energy when watching videos on streaming services.Cinema Core will also support HDR10+quality, which is a first on mobile terminals.

HDR games

The new Snapdragon 855 Adreno 640 GPU offers a 30 %performance gain, which will allow HDR to play.Qualcomm claims that HDR games on smartphones will have more than a billion shades of colors.

In addition, a new lighting and texture technique called "physical rendering" can reproduce effects such as the sun's rays reflecting on the bricks.

The games will also be more fluid, thanks to the optimized algorithms of the Snapdragon 855 which have been designed to reduce by more than 90 % the number of images lost.A weaker latency that will benefit multiplayer games in particular.For virtual reality applications, the Snapdragon 855 will allow resolutions from 8k to 120 frames per second.

5G

High -end phones of next year which will use the Snapdragon 855 will all be compatible 5G.But the latter is not integrated into the Snapdragon 855 himself.To do this, manufacturers will have to employ other Qualcomm components, including its Modem X50.

If a manufacturer opts for the Snapdragon 855 but no 5G modem, its smartphone can download data up to 2 gigabits per second thanks to the integrated X24 modem.It is the double the most efficient 4G speed, which is already not bad.

By combining the Snapdragon 855 with Modem X50, Qualcomm announces average performance up to 20 times faster compared to the current LTE technology.The SOC will use the latest Wi-Fi technology, called 802.11ay.It reduces latency and allows speeds up to 10 gbit/s.