Snapdragon is the most common SoC used in the market of Android smartphones. While buying a smartphone, you might have seen this in the specification section. However, if you are not sure which one is better or which one would better suit your needs, then here is a guide on Snapdragon Processors.
The SoCs that are used the most frequently in Android smartphones are those made by Qualcomm. In the US and a few other countries, Samsung utilizes Snapdragon for its Galaxy S range. It also drives products from Xiaomi, OnePlus, and virtually any other company that makes flagship phones but doesn’t also produce its own silicon. But not just pricey flagship devices use Snapdragon chips. A wide range of processors with different price points are available for mobile devices. These differ in terms of performance and features.
In 2022, various high-end smartphones, including the Xiaomi 12 series, Galaxy S22 family, and Oppo Find X5 Pro are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1.
It belongs to Qualcomm’s most potent generation of smartphone chipsets, the Snapdragon 800 series. This new processor is expected to be a significant improvement over the Snapdragon 888 flagship SoC from the current generation. It is a robust octa-core CPU in the 4nm chipset. It consists of a potent Cortex-X2 core, three Cortex-A710 cores, and four Cortex-A510 cores for light-duty activities. As a result, you can anticipate a 20 percent speed boost and a 30 percent efficiency increase over the Snapdragon SoC’s current version.
Testing on the Galaxy S22 series revealed very little improvement in CPU performance. For the graphics hardware, Qualcomm’s newest Adreno GPU promises a 30% performance improvement and a 25% efficiency improvement over its predecessor. In fact, it claims that utilizing the Vulkan API might result in performance gains of up to 60% over the previous SoC.
The most recent processor also features an integrated Snapdragon X65 5G mode. This supports mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G and has a 10Gbps peak speed. Otherwise, expect Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, compatibility for a single 200MP camera, 8K HDR recording, and Quick Charge 5 support.
The Snapdragon 800 series CPUs, extend the possibilities of linked computing and empower manufacturers to create cutting-edge mobile experiences. The Snapdragon 800, 801, and 805 are quite outdated and do not support 64-bit processing. However, some phones are still being released on the market with them.
The Snapdragon 888 and 888 Plus processor families from 2021 were the previous flagship family. Numerous phones, including the Xiaomi Mi 11, the Galaxy S21 series in the US, and the OnePlus 9 series, are powered by this series. The Snapdragon 888 series isn’t weak; it has a respectable amount of CPU power. A Cortex-X1 core for heavy lifting, three Cortex-A78 cores, and four Cortex-A55 cores are all included in the package. The Cortex-X1 chip in the Plus version has a modest clock speed increase. Other than that, the Snapdragon 888 series also features a superb GPU for sophisticated games and emulators. Additionally, for the first time in a flagship series, it has an integrated 5G modem. Moreover, it supports Bluetooth 5.2, Quick Charge 5, Wi-Fi 6E, and 200MP photos.
Qualcomm also introduced the Snapdragon 870 and Snapdragon 860. So, the Snapdragon 888 and 888 Plus isn’t the only Snapdragon 800 series processors available.
The Snapdragon 870 was unveiled in early 2021 and represents a minuscule improvement over the flagship Snapdragon 865 and 865 Plus processors from 2020.
All three of these chipsets have a tri-cluster CPU configuration with four low-power but effective Cortex-A55 cores, one potent Cortex-A55 core, three capable but less potent Cortex-A77 cores, and one strong Cortex-A77 core. Additionally, each of the three processors has an Adreno 650 GPU. This is still a great performer and capable of running a wide range of sophisticated games and emulators. Although there are changes in clock speeds among the three, there aren’t many differences in terms of actual performance and capabilities.
In 2021, Qualcomm also released the Snapdragon 860. It is essentially the Snapdragon 855 Plus from 2019 with a few minor changes. These include the capacity to address more RAM and enhanced support for external displays. However, smartphones with the Snapdragon 860 still have enough capacity to run complex games and perform well in general. All these chipsets provide newer features like 5G, 8K video, and lightning-fast imaging. The Snapdragon 870 processor will likely be seen in flagship-style handsets that range from the upper mid-range to the reasonably priced. This includes the OnePlus 9R, Vivo X60 Pro, Motorola Moto G100, and Redmi K40. The mid-range Poco X3 Pro uses the Snapdragon 860, which is a step behind the 870 in all other respects.
The Snapdragon 805 is uncommon and can be found in the Nexus 6. Also, the 801 was the primary flagship chip for 2014 flagship handsets. It can be found in products like the recently released OnePlus X. The Snapdragon 808 and 810 are more recent and at the top of the range. The former is included in numerous smartphones, whereas the latter is present in phones like the LG G4. Qualcomm’s 810 had some overheating difficulties, which led to the creation of a v2.1 edition. You can find it in the OnePlus 2. Since the Snapdragon 820 is the 2016 year’s top processor, you may see smartphones powered by it. With the addition of the Adreno 530 GPU, Hexagon 680 DSP, and X12 LTE modem, it provides performance that is two times as fast as prior versions while using less power.
Up until the Snapdragon 821 in 2016, Qualcomm provided CPU cores that were built in-house. Today, though, it modifies Arm’s Cortex cores by using them instead. It recently bought the CPU business Nuvia, and it has since disclosed that it will use Nuvia’s CPU technology in laptops, premium smartphones, and other products. Custom CPU cores may perhaps return to the market later this year or in the next year. The San Diego-based business has also made significant investments in other silicon components for its chipsets, including GPUs, modems, and image signal processors for cameras. The chipmaker has improved capabilities like facial recognition, scene/subject/object detection, natural language processing, and more over the years by refining its machine learning silicon.
Additional high-end chipsets include the Samsung Exynos 2200, Huawei’s HiSilicon Kirin 9000, and MediaTek’s Dimensity 9000. It would be fascinating to compare the Dimensity 9000 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in terms of performance.
| Units | Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 888/888 Plus | Snapdragon 865/865 Plus/870 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 1x Cortex-X2 3x Cortex -A710 4x Cortex-A510 | 1x Cortex-X1 3x Cortex-A78 4x Cortex-A55 | 1x Cortex-A77 3x Cortex-A77 4x Cortex-A55 |
| GPU | Adreno | Adreno 660 | Adreno 650 |
| DSP | Hexagon | Hexagon 780 | Hexagon 698 |
| Process | 4nm | 5nm | 7nm FinFET |
| Modem | X65 LTE/5G (integrated) 10Gbps down 3000 Mbps up | X60 LTE/5G (integrated) 7500 Mbps down 3000 Mbps up | X55 LTE/5G (external) 7500 Mbps down 3000 Mbps up |
| Cameras | 108MP single, 64MP+36MP dual, or 36MP triple 200MP snapshot | 84MP single, 64MP+25MP dual, or 24MP triple 200MP snapshot | 64MP single or 25MP dual 200MP snapshot |
| Quick Charge | 5 | 5 | 4+ |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 (5.1 for 865) |
Notable Snapdragon 800 series phones
The Snapdragon 700 series from Qualcomm isn’t quite as simple as its flagship 800 series. This is because there are so many of them, also several low-end chips have entered the 600 series. The Snapdragon 780G is the most competent and current processor in the Snapdragon 700 series, which is effectively an upper mid-range processor. The 780G came in early 2021 and features a triple-tiered CPU architecture. It has the same 5nm design as the Snapdragon 888 and supports both mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G.
There is a 2.4GHz Cortex-A78 CPU, three 2.2GHz Cortex-A78 CPUs, and four Cortex-A55 CPU cores. So, you get the processing power to compete with flagship chips from rival manufacturers like Huawei’s Kirin 9000 and MediaTek’s older Dimensity 1200.
Additionally, the Adreno 642 GPU included in the Snapdragon 780G is said to perform on par with slightly earlier flagships. Although it lags behind 2020’s Snapdragon 865 devices, you may expect greater graphical performance than Snapdragon 855 smartphones. Qualcomm’s mid-range CPUs, which have typically lagged well behind even the company’s earlier flagship chipsets in this area, that represents still a significant advancement.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 778G and 778G Plus appear to have a few slightly less impressive specifications than the 780G. The same CPU cores, Adreno 642L GPU, and 6nm manufacturing architecture are available in this series. In order to avoid the widespread chip shortage, the company also disclosed to us at the time of the 778G’s introduction that it was employing a different foundry to produce these chips. The company’s initial mid-range 5G processors were introduced by Qualcomm in 2020 as the Snapdragon 765 series, 750G, and 768G. These chipsets provide complete 5G functionality, 7nm or 8nm construction, a 1+1+6 CPU architecture, and good graphics power. However, the 750G has newer CPU cores, so theoretically, it should perform slightly better than its stablemates. However, compared to the 765 and 768G CPUs, this comes at the sacrifice of graphical performance, machine learning power, and camera capabilities.
The Snapdragon 765G CPU was used by certain manufacturers in 2020 for their flagship models. This includes the LG Velvet and the Google Pixel 5. This illustrates how advanced these CPUs have become. However, in 2021 Qualcomm began to sell less expensive Snapdragon 800-series processors, and Google made the decision to provide its own silicon for the Pixel 6 series. This, in turn, effectively put an end to this trend.
Few Snapdragon 700 series CPUs that support 4G are still in use by OEMs. These include the Snapdragon 730 series, Snapdragon 732G, and Snapdragon 720G. In terms of strength and potential, these are all the items below. With the octa-core CPUs, which have two potent Cortex-A76 CPUs and six potent Cortex-A55 cores, you can perform high-resolution photography. You also get potent Spectra image signal processors. All of these offer 192MP snapshots, although their highest multi-frame processing resolution is far lower. Although 4K at 30 frames per second is essentially guaranteed at this tier, you won’t get 8K either.
| Units | Snapdragon 780G | Snapdragon 778G/778G Plus | Snapdragon 768G/765/765G | Snapdragon 750G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 2x Kryo 670 (Cortex-A78) 6x Kryo 670 (Cortex-A55) | 2x Kryo 670 (Cortex-A78) 6x Kryo 670 (Cortex-A55) | 2x Kryo 475 (Cortex-A76) 6x Kryo 475 (Cortex-A55) | 2x Kryo 475 (Cortex-A77) 6x Kryo 475 (Cortex-A55) |
| GPU | Adreno 642 | Adreno 642L | Adreno 620 | Adreno 619 |
| DSP | Hexagon 770 | Hexagon 770 | Hexagon 696 | Hexagon 570 |
| Modem | Snapdragon X53 5G/LTE 5G – 3300Mbps down, uplink TBC | Snapdragon X53 5G/LTE 5G – 3300Mbps down, uplink TBC | Snapdragon X52 5G/LTE 5G – 3700Mbps down, 1600Mbps up | Snapdragon X52 5G/LTE 5G – 3700Mbps down, 1600Mbps up |
| Cameras | 84MP single, 64MP+20MP dual, 25MP+25MP+25MP triple 192MP snapshot | 64MP single, 36MP+22MP dual, 22MP+22MP+22MP triple 192MP snapshot | 32MP single or 22MP dual 192MP snapshot | 32MP single or 22MP dual 192MP snapshot |
| Quick Charge | 4+ | 4+ | 4+ | 4+ |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 | 5.2 | 5.0 (765, 765G) 5.2 (768G) | 5.1 |
| Process | 5nm | 6nm | 7nm | 8nm |
Notable Snapdragon 700 series phones
The Snapdragon 600 series is primarily targeted at the sub-$300 market. At the same time, the Snapdragon 700 series attempts to bridge the gap between mid-range and flagship devices. Snapdragon 600 series processors offer superior mobile user experiences ranging from 4K Ultra HD video capture and playback, advanced camera, multichannel audio, and expanded connectivity options. Thus, making them a natural fit for powerful and exquisitely designed smartphones and tablets. The 602A was created for the automotive industry, leaving five other chips in the range with a bit more muddled naming structure than the 800 range. The Snapdragon 600 is now out of date. All three 2014 Snapdragon chips—the 610, 615, and 616—were Qualcomm’s first octa-core SoCs (system on a chip).
The Snapdragon 695 appears to be competitive with some Snapdragon 700-series processors. This processor includes the same Adreno 619 GPU as in the Snapdragon 750G from the previous year. Additionally, it has a somewhat capable octa-core CPU (2x Cortex-A77 and 6x Cortex-A55). Moreover, you get specialized machine learning silicon, Wi-Fi 6 connectivity, 13MP triple camera support, 108MP single camera support, 4K HDR video recording, and other features. The Snapdragon 695 replaces the Snapdragon 690 from last year. This new chip is quite comparable to the 690, except it lacks functionality for triple cameras and has a little less powerful Adreno 619 GPU. It also contains updated CPU cores. Qualcomm claims that the new processor outperforms its predecessor in both CPU and GPU performance by 15% and 30%, respectively.
Along with the Snapdragon 695, Qualcomm also introduced the Snapdragon 680. It is a 4G-only SoC that stands apart from the previous entries. The features include outdated CPU cores (four Cortex-A73 and four Cortex-A53), the Adreno 610 GPU, Hexagon 686 DSP, and Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging. It appears to be developed on the older, lower-end Snapdragon 665 SoC. However, there are a few improvements, like Bluetooth 5.1 support and a considerably smaller 6nm manufacturing process (meaning improved efficiency).
Next comes the Snapdragon 670 and Snapdragon 675, which are 4G-only and were discontinued in 2018–2019. There are several similarities between these two SoCs and the initial Snapdragon 700 series processors. Strong Cortex-A75 and A76 CPU cores are available together with low-power Cortex-A55 cores in the Snapdragon 670 and 675, respectively. Additionally, Bluetooth 5 support, Quick Charge 4+ capabilities, and ageing but respectable GPUs (albeit inferior to the 700 series) are to be anticipated. The support for 4K recording, 192MP snapshots, and 48MP photographs with multi-frame processing is also provided by the 670 and 675.
The 615 can be found in devices like the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua and the HTC Desire 820. The Snapdragon 617, 618, and 620 are all 2015 CPUs. These include the X8 LTE modem and other capabilities. The other two include Adreno 510 graphics and are either Hexa- or octa-core, while the 617 has Quick Charging 3.0. The Snapdragon 617 is a feature of HTC’s recently released One A9.
| Units | Snapdragon 695 | Snapdragon 690 | Snapdragon 680 | Snapdragon 675/670 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 2x Kryo 660 (Cortex-A78) 6x Kryo 660 (Cortex-A55) | 2x Kryo 560 (Cortex-A77) 6x Kryo 560 (Cortex-A55) | 4x Kryo 260 (Cortex-A73) 4x Kryo 260 (Cortex-A53) | 4x Cortex-A53 4x Cortex-A53 |
| GPU | Adreno 619 | Adreno 619L | Adreno 610 | Adreno 505 |
| RAM | LPDDR4X | LPDDR4X | LPDDR3 | LPDDR3 |
| DSP | Hexagon 686 | Hexagon 692 Hexagon Tensor Accelerator | Hexagon 686 | Hexagon 536 |
| Modem | X51 5G 2,500Mbps down 900Mbps up | X51 5G 2,500Mbps down 900Mbps up | X11 4G 390Mbps down 150Mbps up | X6 LTE 150Mbps down 75Mbps up |
| Cameras | 32MP single or 16MP dual (192MP snapshot) | 32MP single or 16MP dual (192MP snapshot) | 32MP single 13MP dual 13MP+13MP+5MP triple 64MP snapshot | 12MP single or 8MP dual |
| Quick Charge | 4+ | 4+ | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Bluetooth | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.1 | 5.0 |
| Process | 6nm | 8nm FinFET | 6nm | 12nm FinFET |
Notable Snapdragon 600 series phones
This Snapdragon series is made for entry-level handsets, which are the least powerful (apart from the dormant Snapdragon 200 family). These processors are primarily found in low-cost smartphones and wearables. However, the most recent Snapdragon 400 chipset represents a significant advancement. Snapdragon 400 series processors are designed to enable the most popular smartphone features.
This includes 4G LTE-Advanced comprehensive internet connectivity, cutting-edge camera technology, Full HD screens, and high-fidelity audio. The Snapdragon 400 has been around for a while, but it keeps turning up in various gadgets, most notably Android Wear smartwatches like the Huawei Watch and Motorola Moto 360 (2nd generation).
The first Snapdragon 400 series chipset to support 5G is the Snapdragon 480. It became public in April 2021. This is essentially a scaled-down version of the Snapdragon 750G. It comes with support for mmWave 5G, the same Adreno 619 GPU, the same 8nm manufacturing process, Quick Charge 4 Plus technology, and assistance for FHD+ 120Hz screens. However, there are some trade-offs, like slower 5G speeds, no support for 4K filming, only 64MP snapshots, and outdated CPU cores (2x Cortex-A76 and 6x Cortex-A55). Nevertheless, this is a significant improvement over the 400 series, which lacked 5G support and freshly announced CPU technology. Theoretically, this processor is better than other SoCs, except for those from the most recent Snapdragon 600 series.
The Snapdragon 480 Plus replaced the Snapdragon 480 in late 2021. However, this is only a minor improvement rather than a significant leap forward. The 4G-capable Snapdragon 460 shares many characteristics with the Snapdragon 662. This has the same GPU, HEIF compatibility, Bluetooth 5.1, and even 48MP multi-frame capture capabilities in addition to some outdated but still competent CPU cores (four Cortex-A73 and four Cortex-A53).
Until 2019, the top chipsets in this family were the Snapdragon 450 and 439. These provided low-power Cortex-A53 octa-core architectures with limited LTE speeds and unremarkable Adreno 500-series GPUs. In other words, phones using these CPUs are more likely to have issues running common system functions, playing sophisticated games, and performing well on the camera. Due to the 14nm and 12nm manufacturing methods, respectively, they are fairly power-efficient, which is their own primary saving grace. Traditionally, those who want the greatest cameras, the quickest charging, the most recent Bluetooth standard, and decent gaming performance had to search elsewhere.
With an Adreno 306 GPU, Cat 4 4G LTE, and up to 13Mp cameras, the Snapdragon 410 was Qualcomm’s first 64-bit mobile SoC. The Motorola Moto G and Samsung Galaxy A3 both contain this chip (3rd gen). The Snapdragon 415, a first-quarter 2015 announcement, is an octa-core SoC with eight ARM Cortex-A53 CPU cores and Adreno 405 graphics. The most recent model is the Snapdragon 430, an octa-core processor that also has Quick Charge 3.0, Adreno 505, and the X6 LTE modem. Since sampling is expected to be available in 2016, you can anticipate seeing this chip in devices the following year.
| Units | Snapdragon 480/480 Plus | Snapdragon 460 | Snapdragon 450 | Snapdragon 439 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 2x Kryo 460 (Cortex-A76) 6x Kryo 460 (Cortex-A55) | 4x Kryo 240 (Cortex-A73) 4x Kryo 240 (Cortex-A53) | 8x 1.8Ghz Cortex-A53 | 4x 1.95Ghz Cortex-A53 4x 1.45Ghz Cortex-A53 |
| GPU | Adreno 619 | Adreno 610 | Adreno 506 | Adreno 505 |
| DSP | Hexagon 686 | Hexagon 683 | Hexagon 546 | Hexagon 536 |
| Modem | Snapdragon X51 5G 2500Mbps down, 660Mbps up | Snapdragon X11 LTE 390Mbps down, 150Mbps up | Snapdragon X9 LTE 300Mbps down, 150Mbps up | Snapdragon X6 LTE 150Mbps down, 75Mbps up |
| Cameras | 25MP single or 25MP+13MP dual 64MP snapshot | 32MP single or 22MP dual 192MP snapshot | 48MP single or 22MP dual 192MP snapshot | 21MP single or 8MP dual |
| Quick Charge | 4+ | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| Bluetooth | 5.1 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 5.0 |
| Process | 8nm | 11nm FinFET | 14nm FinFET | 12nm FinFET |
Notable Snapdragon 400 series phones
The 200-tier Snapdragon CPU is at the bottom of the price scale. It is intended to make excellent performance more affordable than ever. Snapdragon 200 series CPUs are designed to offer brilliant HD images and top-notch multichannel audio while enabling smooth navigation and app switching. It is a CPU for even more affordable variations of entry-level smartphones like the Moto E. Additionally, it can be found in phones like the Sony Xperia E1 and the Lumia 535. Since the chip doesn’t enable 4G, the second-generation Moto E also features it for the 3G-only model. The Snapdragon 208 is intended to improve 3G communication.
Only a small number of smartphones, like the HTC Desire 520 and Microsoft Lumia 550, are equipped with the Snapdragon 210, which delivers 4G LTE (Cat 4) capabilities. The Snapdragon 212 was included in devices starting in 2019 and increased processing performance by 1.3GHz.
There’s a strong probability that any smartphone or tablet you own contains a Qualcomm Snapdragon chip. But the Snapdragon 800, 600, 400, and 200 CPUs differ from one another in terms of features and capabilities. The CPU is digitally the heart of mobile devices, just like it is in conventional PCs and laptops. The optimum mix of power and efficiency is provided to mobile consumers by each tier of Snapdragon processors. As a result, a wide range of mobile technology exists that is sufficiently cutting-edge to bear the Snapdragon moniker. The highest tier of Qualcomm’s CPUs, or the flagship model with the finest performance and feature set, is the Snapdragon 800 series. These processors are found in more expensive smartphones and tablets. The Snapdragon 600 tier covers the mid-range. If you want the most recent features and the best performance, you should go for Snapdragon 700 or 800 CPUs.
Which Snapdragon processor does your mobile uses? Tell us in the comments section below.
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