Qualcomm has always had a confusing naming scheme for its processors, and today it adds to the confusion with the launch of the Snapdragon 870. It represents something of a new category for a business, as it is a step below the latest and is best of the company, while still being an upgrade of the previous year’s flagship.
The Snapdragon 888 is the company’s current flagship. It was announced in December and will be the processor that is in most Android phones that perform best this year, such as the Galaxy S21. It has 25% faster CPU performance and 35% faster GPU performance than last year’s Snapdragon 865 (and slightly less than the slightly improved 865 Plus). This is the company’s largest year-on-year performance increase since 835 in 2017.
Normally, the company has a whole bunch of middlemen and budget processors to occupy the rest of its business. Their performance allows for different price levels, but Qualcomm never offered a processor that could surpass the flagship of the previous year, while still being better than the best dog of the current year. The Snapdragon 765G in the Pixel 5, for example, was Qualcomm’s second processor for 2020, but its raw CPU performance was closer to the 2018 845.
The Snapdragon 870 is then in a new category, bringing a 10 percent CPU and GPU boost over the 865, while still being slower and presumably cheaper than the 888. The processor is indeed based on the 865’s 7nm. architecture rather than the 888s. 5nm technology, so it looks like the company could get a little more performance out of the older technology. The only noticeable differences between the specifications of the 865s and 870s are the clock speed of the CPU and the GPU.
Of course, the chip also supports 5G, though companies should opt for a 5G modem separately rather than integrating it into the SoC like on the 888.
We do not yet know exactly which devices the processor will contain, but Qualcomm has highlighted Motorola, iQOO, OnePlus, Oppo and Xiaomi as companies that will include the chip in upcoming devices.
This is a sensible step by Qualcomm. I have found that with each new phone generation, I think less about having the most powerful processor available, and more about adequate performance with decent software optimization. The above Pixel 5, for example, feels about as fast as any flagship with a better processor I’ve used for all the most demanding activities. During regular use, I forget that I am using a processor that has been behind the curb for a few years.
Still, I would not mind a bit more performance, and I suspect the 870 would be a nice place for people who want an upgrade from last year’s devices without paying overall prices.
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Published on January 19, 2021 – 18:08 UTC