Qualcomm Details the Next-Gen Snapdragons

Over the last year, 1GHz CPUs in smartphones have become more than normal. If someone had told us in 2007 that we'd soon be scoffing over a smartphone with anything less than 1GHz under the hood, we'd have told him or her that they were crazy. Still, two or three years is a lifetime in the technology industry and here we are, living in a world where we can not only scoff at anything less than 1GHz, but realistically look to the future where chip manufacturers are working hard to bring us clock-speeds higher than 1GHz.

Furthering our tendencies toward smartphone snobbery, Qualcomm this week briefed tech analysts on its roadmap for the next couple of years, and boy, are we excited. First up are two 1.2 GHz dual-core CPUs. AnandTech reports that these two SoCs (codenamed MSM8260 and 8660) will pack two Scorpion cores and an Adreno 205 GPU on a single 45nm die. The 8260 will feature support for HSPA+, while the 8660 also includes HSPA+ support along with CDMA2000 and 1xEV-DO Rev. B.

Exciting as these dual-core chips are, the SoC that has everyone talking is the next generation Snapdragon, the MSM8960. The MSM8960 will boast two next-generation processor cores, which Qualcomm claims will give 5x the performance of the original Snapdragon chip and a 75 percent reduction in power consumption. The company also talked about beefing up the graphics, with numbers like ~4x improvement in graphics performance.

Read more about Qualcomm's plans for Snapdragon on Anandtech.

*Image via AnandTech

  • soulfringe
    God say it isn't true ! I have had serious consideration for picking up a new phone lately, and this just makes me feel the need to wait longer. I do want those sexy specs now! Oh I am so giddy with anticipation now.
    Reply
  • onyx_64
    And yet, the iphone isnt even runnin @ 1GHz! (yes, they might have a 1GHz, but which is underclocked).. But oh well, it looks "cool" nevertheless! lol :P
    Im just hoping that the incredible v2 wud release by the time my contract expires in a few months.. I dont want to have an "outdated" 1GHz phone then! :(
    Reply
  • gekko668
    Just like good old time where AMD and Intel would duke it out in an clock race. Now it ARM turn.
    Reply
  • aznshinobi
    And yet, the iphone isnt even runnin @ 1GHz! (yes, they might have a 1GHz, but which is underclocked)

    The iPhone 4 runs a A4 Cortex from ARM 1ghz...

    Can't wait for the G3 (if it comes out for T-Mobile), the G2 was already impressive, sporting a 800 MHZ (MHZ!!!!) Snapdragon, but still able to keep up with the 1ghz beasts of the current gen. Plus they actually were able to OC it to 1.3ghz luls Cell phone OCing. (never thought I'd see the day)
    Reply
  • Albyint
    5x the performance? Wow....

    I keep deciding to wait till phones get better before i get one. But each time i read about the "next" phone I put it off because it has something ELSE that I want....

    By the time i actually get one, Ill want it to be at least tri core or something crazy at this rate......
    Reply
  • joytech22
    aznshinobiThe iPhone 4 runs a A4 Cortex from ARM 1ghz...
    The phone run's the apple A4 at 800MHz, the Ipad runs at 1GHz.
    Reply
  • kronos_cornelius
    My next chip will definitely be a Tegra #, Nvidia has to decide what # will be, I have almost two years to go for the next upgrade.
    Reply
  • aznshinobi
    joytech22The phone run's the apple A4 at 800MHz, the Ipad runs at 1GHz.
    http://www.simonblog.com/2010/06/25/iphone-4-teardown-512mb-ram-and-1ghz-cpu-revealed/

    My bad, not an A4 but an A8. Still... 1ghz...
    Reply
  • reprotected
    I don't care if the next gen would be 1.4 Ghz, you can make a faster processor running at 500 mhz for mobile phones and it can outperform a 6-core Core i7 at 4.0 ghz. Just look at Pentium D to Core 2.
    Reply
  • jimmysmitty
    reprotectedI don't care if the next gen would be 1.4 Ghz, you can make a faster processor running at 500 mhz for mobile phones and it can outperform a 6-core Core i7 at 4.0 ghz. Just look at Pentium D to Core 2.
    Huh?

    A 500MHz mobile processor outperforming a 4GHz Core i7?

    And I will look at Pentium D to Core 2. Core 2 whomped Pentium D at a lower clock but these mobile CPUs would die in a fight against a 4GHz Core i7. Well in x86/x86-64.
    Reply