Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 system-on-chip will still be manufactured using the 10nm process node technology like its direct predecessor, according to latest rumors from China. The high-end silicon is expected to be of the octa-core variety, with its CPU being divided into a quad-core Cortex-A75 cluster and an energy-efficient Cortex-A53 one, insiders claim. Whereas the processor found on the chip isn’t believed to be a massive upgrade on the one embedded into the Snapdragon 835, Qualcomm is expected to make a significant jump in terms of graphical performance with its next offering. According to recent reports and rumors that have been circulating the industry for the better part of this year, the Snapdragon 845 will feature the Adreno 630 GPU as opposed to the Adreno 540 chip found on the previous piece of silicon.
No operating frequencies have yet been attached to either the CPU or GPU of the Snapdragon 845, with insiders only hinting that the upcoming chip will not be a major upgrade in this regard. It’s still expected to be somewhat more energy-efficient, allowing manufacturers to deliver handsets that boast performance identical or slightly better to that of every 2017 flagship but with longer battery life. Qualcomm’s X20 modem supporting 1.2Gbps peak download speeds is also said to be embedded into the chip, as per information provided by Chinese IT Home earlier today, with this particular module being rumored as part of the Snapdragon 845 since the first half of the year. The San Diego, California-based semiconductor company will reportedly announce its next flagship silicon early next month and have it ready for commercialization by winter, with the chip being expected to feature in the vast majority of Android-powered flagships set to be released throughout 2018.
The Snapdragon 845 is said to ship with simultaneous support two dual-camera setups featuring four 25-megapixel sensors in total, suggesting Qualcomm expects more OEMs to start offering both front and rear-facing two-sensor imaging systems on their mobile products in the near future. Samsung‘s Galaxy S9 lineup is widely rumored to be the first to commercialize the Snapdragon 845 in late winter or early spring, whereas most other manufacturers will likely have to wait until at least May before they’re able to secure enough stock to start mass-producing devices with Qualcomm’s next premium silicon.