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Qualcomm beefs up Snapdragon 600, 400 tiers

Qualcomm has added the faster, LTE-based Snapdragon 632, 439 and 429 to its mobile platforms.

Qualcomm has added to its Snapdragon 600 and 400 tiers with the Snapdragon 632, 439 and 429 Mobile Platforms. The platforms promise better battery life, more efficiency and higher performance, with impressive graphics and artificial intelligence.

Use of the Fin Field Effect Transistor, or FinFET process technology, improves the CPU performance and power efficiency by 25% to 40% over other Snapdragon chips, says Qualcomm. Of course, that depends on the application.

The Snapdragon 632 has fast LTE speeds aimed at supporting uses such as mainstream gaming, 4K video capture and artificial intelligence. Qualcomm says the chipset has up to 40% higher performance because it combines the Qualcomm Kryo 250 CPU and Qualcomm Adreno 506 GPU. The platform also supports a 24MP single-camera or dual cameras at 13MP each, while display resolutions can scale up to FHD+. For fast cellular speeds, the Snapdragon 632 has a X9 LTE modem, which supports LTE Advanced technologies like carrier aggregation.

The Snapdragon 439 and 429 Mobile Platforms are aimed at mass market and price-sensitive consumers. Both platforms have artificial intelligence capabilities that enhance the camera, voice, and security experience, said Qualcomm, and they are equipped with X6 LTE modem for fast downloads, smooth video streams, and web browsing. Snapdragon 439 has an octa-core CPU and Adreno 505 GPU for faster graphics rendering.

Snapdragon 439 supports a 21MP single-camera and 8+8MP dual-cameras with support for FHD+ display. The Snapdragon 429 has a 16MP single-camera and 8+8MP dual-cameras with HD+ display.

Commercial devices based on Snapdragon 632, 439 and 429 are expected to launch in the second half of this year. Qualcomm says more than 1,350 commercial devices have Snapdragon 600-tier mobile platforms and over 2,300 are based on Snapdragon 400-tier mobile platforms.

“The introduction of Snapdragon 632, 439 and 429 builds off Qualcomm Technologies’ highest-selling mobile platforms and provides users with increased performance and power efficiency, superior graphics, AI capabilities and enhanced connectivity features,” said Kedar Kondap, vice president of product management for Qualcomm Technologies, in a press statement.

ABOUT AUTHOR

Susan Rambo
Susan Rambo
Susan Rambo covers 5G for RCR Wireless News. Prior to RCR Wireless, she was executive editor on EE Times, Embedded.com, EDN.com, Planet Analog and EBNOnline. She served also EE Times’ editor in chief and the managing editor for Embedded Systems Programing magazine, a popular how-to design magazine for embedded systems programmers. Her BA in fine art from UCLA is augmented with a copyediting certificate and design coursework from UC Berkeley and UCSC Extensions, respectively. After straddling the line between art and science for years, science may be winning. She is an amateur astronomer who lugs her telescope to outreach events at local schools. She loves to hear about the life cycle of stars and semiconductors alike. She is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Follow her on Twitter @susanm_rambo.