Qualcomm has introduced two new mobile processors, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and the Snapdragon 7 Gen 2, with a significant focus on advancing artificial intelligence capabilities in smartphones. The announcement, made at the Snapdragon Summit, positions these chips to handle increasingly complex AI workloads directly on devices.
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 is engineered to power the next generation of flagship Android devices, prioritizing on-device generative AI experiences. This processor is built on a 2nm process node, aiming for improved performance and efficiency. Qualcomm highlighted its capability to run AI agents for complex background tasks, such as summarizing documents or anticipating user needs, with greater speed and privacy due to local processing. The chip features a redesigned Hexagon NPU with a new Hexagon Element Accelerator for fast AI operations and supports large context windows of up to 32K. Additionally, an upgraded Qualcomm Sensing Hub with dual micro-NPUs offers 85% better performance and 20% more efficiency for AI tasks compared to its predecessor.
Complementing the high-end offering, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 is positioned to bring enhanced AI features to a broader range of devices. While specific details on its AI capacity were less emphasized compared to the 8 Elite Gen 6, Qualcomm stated that its AI Engine, featuring a next-generation Hexagon NPU, improves AI network performance. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 is manufactured using a 4nm process and includes a Kryo CPU with peak speeds up to 2.4 GHz, alongside an Adreno GPU.
Both chipsets are designed to improve mobile gaming and multimedia experiences. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 includes Adreno Neural Fusion, a technology that combines AI super-resolution and real-time frame generation for smoother gameplay and power savings. It also supports 8K video recording at 60 frames per second and 4K slow-motion at 240 frames per second. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 features Snapdragon Elite Gaming enhancements, such as Variable Rate Shading, and a 12-bit Qualcomm Spectra Triple ISP for advanced photography.
Connectivity is also a focus, with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 incorporating the new Qualcomm X105 5G Modem-RF with FastConnect 8800, setting the stage for future 6G networks. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 utilizes the Snapdragon X62 5G Modem-RF System, supporting 3GPP Release 16 and Wi-Fi 6E.
Qualcomm stated that the goal with these new processors is to enable faster, more responsive, and more private AI experiences by processing AI tasks locally on the device, reducing reliance on cloud servers. The company aims to bring these advanced capabilities to more consumers across the Android ecosystem.