Qualcomm Snapdragon-ces 2017
Qualcomm Snapdragon. Image: TheUSBport.

American manufacturer Qualcomm gave some details about their upcoming Snapdragon 835 processor today at CES 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 835 could become (most likely) the best chip available in the market this year.

Qualcomm is a growing company, also responsible for unveiling the first 1 Gbps LTE-A modem and the first 5G modem. Their chips are now commonplace in most premium phones, and their popularity can only go up at this point.

The Snapdragon 835 is the next step in battery life, immersive experiences, machine learning, and augmented reality.

Qualcomm will have three individual booths this year at CES, the main one in Central Hall, one for Automotive line in the North Hall, and another for robotics in the South Hall.

Snapdragon 835 build, specs, and features

Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
Snapdragon 835. Image: Qualcomm.

The 835 includes all the possible subsystems for a state-of-the-art chip. A wireless modem, digital signal processor (DSP), CPU, GPU, WiFi, audio processor, security processor, and an image signal processor (ISP).

Qualcomm is already an expert brand in perfecting their individual design and architecture, their Symphony SDK complements the hardware and promises a chip that will change the future of mobile devices.

The 835 is also the first 10nm SoC officially announced in the entire world. It is the result of a joint venture between Qualcomm and Samsung, which provided the small-scale FinFET framework.

Qualcomm’s prominent role in the future of VR and AR

According to the company, the Snapdragon 835 will deliver a 25% improvement in performance regarding 3D graphics and will support sixty times more colors with its Adreno 540 optical processing subsystem.

The SoC logically supports 4K UHD Video with HDR 10 and 10-bit wide color gamut displays for astounding definition. Its audio properties don’t fall behind, adding 3D sound for immersive experiences.

The Snapdragon 835 will most likely signify a breakthrough for all technologies related to virtual and augmented reality. It supports head tracking via a sensor fusion technology that Qualcomm calls “visual-inertial odometry.”

The company will deliver a full VR SDK and Daydream integration as well to go with the latest semi-custom Kryo 280 CPU, also providing enough power for the field of AI and dual-camera work.

About Qualcomm Incorporated

Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs
Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs. Image: San Diego Union-Tribune.

The chipmaker started its journey in 1895, by the hand of Irwin Jacobs, Andrew Viterbi, and others. It currently headquarters in San Diego, California.

Though it may not seem that way up close, the company is now recovering from a decline in sales from early 2015, which forced them to cut down on 15% of its workforce.

A rebuilding process started soon after, which led to the breakthroughs now exposed here, better partnerships, and smart acquisitions. Qualcomm is now another rising star in the tech world, once again.

Source: Forbes / Qualcomm