Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 5G could replace your DSLR

It introduces a new level of speed, power, and imaging capabilities to the next generation of flagship smartphones.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 5G could replace your DSLR 1

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 5G, which was revealed yesterday during the first day of the Snapdragon Tech Summit, aims to introduce a new level of speed, power, and imaging capabilities to the next generation of flagship smartphones.

Of course, the Snapdragon 888 will offer only the best in 5G and connectivity. Equipped with the 3rd gen Qualcomm Snapdragon X60 5G Modem-RF System, the Snapdragon 888 chipset offers support for global improvements to 5G networks and support for all-day battery life. The “most-advanced connectivity platform ever” will also boast the world’s fastest uplink and downlink 5G speeds (up to 6gbps) and mobile Wi-Fi 6 speeds.

The Snapdragon 88 uses AI to combine the best parts of each image to create a single vibrant photo
The Snapdragon 888 uses AI to combine the best parts of each image to create a single vibrant photo

When it comes to imaging, the 888 uses the Spectra 580 and has the goal of replicating professional-level camera quality. It’s the first Snapdragon to carry a triple ISP that allows the simultaneous capture of up to three 4K HDR videos or three 28-megapixel photos. Essentially, by utilizing the Spectra 580, a smartphone can capture 3 different camera streams from 3 different vantage points and it uses AI to combine the best parts of each image to create a single vibrant photo. Additionally, Qualcomm is claiming that the new Low Light architecture will let cameras take good photos in “near-complete darkness.”

The Spectra 580 also unlocks a couple of other imaging features such as 4K video capture at 120FPS, advanced HW-based face detection, multi-frame noise reduction, and more. The Spectra 580 is notably 35% faster than the previous generation and 20% more power-efficient.

Going beyond that, when it comes to security, the new flagship chipset will support Truepic cryptography for more secure authentication. This makes it the world’s first camera compliant with the Content Authority Initiative. This basically means you’re getting an added level of protection with your media, making it safer to use and share photos.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 5G could replace your DSLR 2
Snapdragon 888 GPU / CPU / ISP breakdown

The Snapdragon 888 is matched with Qualcomm’s Adreno 660 GPU and Kryo 680 CPU to offer a combination of faster graphics rendering, power efficiency, and overall significant performance enhancements. Equipped with the brand-new 6th Gen Qualcomm Artificial Intelligence Engine, the 888 integrates AI into most of a device’s functions. This includes features for photography, gaming, and even for enhancing connectivity.

In particular, the Adreno 660 GPU, features the third generation of Snapdragon Elite Gaming technology which offers “desktop-level” features to its enhancements in gaming. It brings powerful brand-new features to mobile gaming such as: variable-rate shading and Qualcomm Game Quick Touch. With VRS, games will be able to offer richer-looking worlds with faster rendering times. Qualcomm Game Quick Touch, on the other hand, lowers latency so every tap or touch offers quicker response times. The Adreno 660 offers 43% Faster AI performance than the previous gen.

The 888 is also the first mobile chipset to run Hypervisor, which has previously only been found on Desktop. Hypervisor allows many instances of the same operating system to run on a single smartphone.

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