One Cortex-X3, two Cortex-A720, two A710, and three A510 are the rumoured cores of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU. Or, if you want, 1 Makalu-Elp, 2 Makalu, 2 Matterhorn, and 3 Klein-R1 are their code names. There is a good chance that ARM’s announcement will be familiar to everyone who has followed the company’s progress. Following up from the Cortex-X1/A78 generation, these processors were announced. The X2/A710 step is plainly Matterhorn, whereas Makalu is clearly the following generation.
The Cortex-X3 and A720 are expected to boost peak CPU performance by up to 30% over the X1/A78 cores, while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 will see a modest increase in performance.
This is probably for the sake of maximising performance at the same clock speed. The SM8550 (codenamed Kailua ES) is expected to be fabbed on TSMC’s N4 node for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (SM8550). Due to the fact that this is the same 4nm process used to manufacture the 8+ Gen 1, significant gains in clock rates are unlikely. The first mobile chipset with four CPU cores is likely to be this one (the current chipsets use three kinds). To be fair, this may be the only way to get next-generation performance. However, the Gen 2 flagship processor is supposed to include an Adreno 740 GPU, which doesn’t provide us much information, to be fair. However, details on performance enhancements will have to wait until further leaks are made public. At the end of the year, Qualcomm usually holds a major live event in Hawaii to introduce its flagship chipset for the next generation of smartphones (which explains all the Hawaii-themed code names)
Can you believe it’s back?
Despite the rumoured layout, we still have a few questions. In addition to the Cortex-X3 and Cortex-A720, two of the last generation Cortex-A710 CPU cores can be found. Digital Chat Station, on the other hand, asserts that these cores are in place to keep 32-bit applications supported. A710 supports both 64-bit as well as 32-bit operations, however the Cortex A510 and Cortex X2 don’t, Arm has verified. For a few years now, Google has been urging developers to abandon 32-bit applications. On top of that, 32-bit apps have been banned from Oppo’s and Vivo’s app stores, and Xiaomi’s too. However, if these specifications are to be trusted, it appears like Qualcomm is not yet ready for a 64-bit-only SoC. However, flagship chipsets with older CPU cores have been used before. In 2020, Samsung’s Exynos 990 switched from using two Cortex-A77 cores to using two older Cortex-A76 cores. Cortex-A76 was also employed by rivals last year, but Google’s semi-custom Tensor SoC still uses two of the cores. For both, the older half served as a medium core, sandwiched between a heavyweight core and four lightweight cores in the central processing unit (CPU).
But why are there three thin cores?
Three Cortex-A510 cores are specified, unlike the four A510 cores currently found in top chipsets from Qualcomm, Samsung, and MediaTek. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and Mediatek’s Dimensity 9000 currently use Arm’s lightweight cores in “merged-core” pairs, but Arm’s cores can also be used as standalone cores. However, since there are only three cores, Qualcomm can theoretically offer a merged-core pair and a standalone core. Two Cortex A510 cores can share resources (e.g. L2 cache) in order to conserve space on the chipset when using the “merged-core” technique. This strategy had a slight performance hit compared to using independent small cores, as Arm reported at the time. If this is accurate, Qualcomm must believe that three low-power A510 cores are worth less than four medium cores, but no one knows for sure which strategy Qualcomm is pursuing. No camera features, machine learning silicon, or other advancements are revealed in this leak. So we’ll have to wait for more leaks or an official announcement before we can learn more about this. Nonetheless, we’d caution you to take this information with a grain of salt, given that the chipset is slated to be unveiled in six months.
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Q1: Which version of the Snapdragon is the best one?
The Snapdragon 780G is the most powerful and up-to-date CPU in the Snapdragon 700 series, which is effectively an upper mid-range processor family. The 780G, which is expected to be released in 2021, has the same 5nm design as the Snapdragon 888, supports both mmWave and sub-6GHz flavours of 5G, as well as a triple-tiered CPU design.
Q2: What is the speed of a Snapdragon 810?
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1’s clock speed is now 3.2GHz, which is a 10% improvement over the 3.0GHz clock speed of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1’s primary core. In addition, Qualcomm boosted the GPU’s clock speed by 10%, resulting in a 10% gain in performance.
Q3: What is the quickest Snapdragon processor?
Currently, the fastest mobile chip from Qualcomm is the Snapdragon 821. This quarter will see the introduction of a mobile chip quicker than the one used in flagship smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5. In comparison to the Snapdragon 820, the Snapdragon 821 was unveiled by Qualcomm on Monday.
Q4: Is the Snapdragon 865 a fast processor?
The 865 is clearly faster, but the 765G is no slouch either. AI and DSP performance are in a similar position. Compared to the 865’s 15 TOPS of performance, the Snapdragon 765G is a long way behind. Compared to the previous year’s 7.5 TOPS, this year’s has only 5 TOPS.
Q5: What is the best mobile processor?
Apple’s A14 Bionic chip is the greatest mobile processor right now. It’s the same technology that powers the new iPhone 12 series and the iPad.
Q6: Is the Snapdragon 888 a superior chip to the Snapdragon 8th Gen1?
In both chipsets, the cluster architecture is the same: 1+3+4. However, the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset features different cores and a higher frequency. Powerful and efficient, the newest cores are better. There is a 20 percent increase in performance and a 30 percent reduction in power consumption compared to the Snapdragon 888 in the Snapdragon 8 Gen1.
