Snapdragon AI is coming to midrange Android phones
Artificial intelligence is becoming more affordable. That also applies to the new Qualcomm Snapdragon AI chips. That is why middle-class phones can also be equipped with advanced functions such as facial recognition and machine learning.
With artificial intelligence coming more and more within reach as the hardware becomes cheaper, we see that more affordable chips are also getting premium AI functions. The Snapdragon 888 processors are a household name because they are very fast and powerful. In many ways they fulfill the role of the market leader and most top of the range phones contain one.
But now Qualcomm also releases the cheaper Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 and the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 with artificial intelligence. But what AI features are coming to the mid-range Snapdragon processors? In a news item, the manufacturer gave more details.
Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 AI
Of the two new SoCs (system on a chip), the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 is the most powerful. For example, we see that this new mid-range SoC supports the ability to take photos with 200 megapixels and HDR (high definition videos).
A somewhat more controversial feature is the intuitive AI assistance, which can recommend apps and settings based on your activity. This sounds a bit like a new revenue model to be honest, but on the other hand it can be quite useful. According to the manufacturer, this SoC calculates 40% faster, the built-in graphics card performs 35% better than its predecessor, the Snapdragon 695.
Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 AI
A somewhat weaker brother is the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1. This SoC is less focused on gaming and more on everyday life. For example, the power consumption is much lower, so you can do several days with one battery charge. That is of course a welcome development.
The hardware support for AI voice support and the possibility to take 108 megapixel photos will also appeal to users. Other than that, the hardware improvements are a bit less impressive. The processor calculates 15% faster and the graphics card 10% faster than its predecessor, the Snapdragon 480+.
5G support
Both processor sets support 5G. The SD 4 Gen 1 only supports sub-6 GHz 5G and WiFi 5. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 also supports the faster mmWave and WiFi 6E standards. We will probably only see these two chipsets in mid-range phones in 2023.
