On Monday evening, Qualcomm revealed the new Snapdragon 660 and 630 mobile platforms, bringing performance previously reserved for high-end, flagship devices to more affordable mid-range phones and tablets. The Snapdragon 660 and 630 processors are included in these platforms, along with a wide range of additional software and hardware components that will push mobile computing forward.
“With the introduction of the Snapdragon 660 and 630 Mobile Platforms, we are thrilled that features such as improved image quality and fast LTE speeds will now be available in a wide array of devices without sacrificing performance or quality,” said Kedar Kondap, VP of product management.
Qualcomm focused on seven categories of features when designed the new mobile platforms: camera, audio and visual processing, connectivity, improved CPU and GPU performance, fast charging, security and machine learning. In every one of these fields, the 660 and 630 trump their predecessors.
Succeeding the Snapdragon 653, the Snapdragon 660 features a 20% improvement in CPU performance and a 30% improvement in GPU performance. If you watch a lot of content or regularly play games on your mobile device, the 2017 chips are going to be a noticeable step up on your next device.
Similarly, the Snapdragon 630, which will take the place of the Snapdragon 626, features a 10% improvement on the CPU side and a 30% improvement from the GPU. Both the 660 and the 630 are expected to provide better battery life as well, which will be further enhanced by the Quick Charge 4 technology. With Quick Charge 4, mobile devices will support 5 hours of talk time in just 5 minutes of charging and up to 50 percent battery life in just 15 minutes of charging.
Both the Snapdragon 660 and 630 feature an X12 LTE Modem, bringing peak downlink data rates of 600Mbps to the 600 line for the first time. Additionally, the 660 supports 2×2 MU-MIMO 802.11ac WiFi for double the data throughput and 60% lower power consumption as the 652. With advanced RF front-end support, envelope tracking technology and support for Bluetooth 5, the new 660 and 630 SoCs will offer more consistent and effective connectivity than any previous 600-tier chips.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 660 mobile platform is shipping now, while the Snapdragon 630 mobile platform will begin shipping before the end of the month. You can visit Qualcomm’s dedicated pages for the Snapdragon 660 and Snapdragon 630 platforms if you want to learn more.
