Asynchronous Multi-Processing And Tablet Use Cases
Q. Would you be able to share with us the process on how the Snapdragon SoCs are selected by OEMs for their smartphones and tablets? Is it a competitive process where the best chip wins? I caught the DTS theatre demo at CES this year. It was certainly impressive, but I don't see myself using my tablet as the centre of my entertainment system. What else has to change about the industry before a high-end SoC is viewed as a viable replacement for a home theatre setup?
A. We can’t comment on the OEM selection process, as that is determined by each OEM. The theater demo shows not only the capabilities of the theater use-case but also the experience you can get from your mobile device and taking that theater-quality audio with you wherever you go on your device.
Q. My understanding is that Qualcomm quad-core processors can operate on any number of cores. If that's correct and they can operate on a single core to save power when that core is sufficient for the current does that mean your quad-core processors actually require less power, at minimum than your dual core processors? Asked another way, does your dual-core S4 Plus in the GS3 for Razr HD actually have a higher minimum power usage than your S4 Pro, Snapdragon 600, or Snapdragon 800? I'm wondering because that means a newer phone with your quad-core processor has the potential to get better battery life with the same size battery. Of course that doesn't take into consideration other factors but we'll assume the same screen and other things which I realize is unlikely.
A. Qualcomm Snapdragon processors leverage our Asynchronous Multi-Processing (aSMP) design. Select a task and one the four cores will snap into action. Each core can throttle up and down depending on the task. The result is increased battery efficiency and a whole lot of performance. Check out this video explaining how aSMP works (http://www.qualcomm.com/media/videos/asynchronous-snapdragon-processors-improve-battery-life)
