Qualcomm has taken to its Twitter page to tease that its Snapdragon 835 processor will be revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2017. While there are a few details that are known about the new processor, the tweet itself simply reads “Our #Snapdragon 835 processor will come into focus at #CES2017.” However, Qualcomm is the premier chip-maker for high-end Android devices and many mid-range and low-end devices also come with variants of a Snapdragon Processor. So it is always exciting when they reveal new chips.
The few details that are known about the processor can help to draw some conclusions. The chip is to be built using a 10nm process. As with other chips, a smaller process for building squeezes more power into a smaller space. The benefits of that include increased processing efficiency and improved power management. The advancement can also lead to smaller phones or phones with larger batteries filling the extra space left by the reduction in space needed for the processor. Larger batteries coupled with better power management is always useful, but that is just one way the extra space can be used. The previous leap from the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 820 to its 821 offered an average improvement of around ten percent. It may stand to reason that a greater leap in designation number, between Qualcomm’s 821 and 835, also means a greater boost in performance and efficiency, compared to the difference between the Snapdragon 820 to the 821.
Remaining to be seen is in exactly what ways device manufacturers will take advantage of the improved chip. It is not yet known which graphics chip will accompany the processor or exactly how much of an improvement the processor will yield. Another big unknown is which devices are slated to come with the new processor, though some speculation has been made across the internet. CES 2017 is of course, set to start on Jan. 3 and will run through until Jan. 8. and so more details on these remaining questions will likely be provided during the event. Qualcomm will be expected to provide further chip specifications, as well as some indication of when the first devices using the chip will hit the market.