During its Snapdragon Tech Summit 2021, Qualcomm expanded its portfolio of solutions for Always On, Always Connected PCs with the introduction of the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 and Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3 compute platforms. “Both platforms utilize smart, connected technology to modernize PC experiences and redefine mobile computing for end user”, claims Qualcomm.
Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 Specifications
Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 marks the World’s First 5nm Windows PC platform. Qualcomm says that its advanced 5nm process node, combined with other optimizations, allowed it to improve the Qualcomm Kryo CPU’s performance dramatically.
With the integration of new prime cores, Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 delivers an up to 85% generational performance uplift and up to 60% greater performance per watt over the competitive x86 platform.
During GPU-intensive activities, like web browsing, video and photo editing, and video conferencing, Qualcomm says that users will benefit from the experiences of the Qualcomm Adreno GPU at a performance improvement of up to 60% versus its previous generation. In addition, this premium platform also supports gaming at full HD (up to 120 FPS) and is optimized to allow users to game up to 50% longer than certain competing platforms.
The Qualcomm Spectra ISP has been improved as well. There’s an improvement in camera start-up time, where users can begin video conferences up to 15% faster than the previous generation chip. In addition, 8cx Gen 3 delivers the latest generation 3A – Auto focus, Auto White Balance, and Auto Exposure. This means that Microsoft Teams or Zoom calls adapt to the user’s movement and lighting changes with high-quality video.
There’s also Qualcomm Noise and Echo Cancellation technology integration as a part of the Qualcomm Voice Suite that makes voice quality even clearer. This feature is enhanced through AI acceleration to improve the clarity and quality of users’ audio. That means that user’s laptop can remove unwanted background sounds.
Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 also supports up to 4K HDR camera quality and up to 4 cameras for new use cases. Moreover, 8cx Gen 3 delivers 29+ TOPS of AI acceleration and is architected to provide security from chip to cloud, introducing a new standard for protecting users’ devices and data from malicious activity.
As for the security, 8cx Gen 3 also introduces a camera security framework supporting Windows Hello login and a dedicated Computer Vision Processor for continuous authentication that helps ensure the user’s device automatically locks when they leave their machine. In addition, 8cx Gen 3 also introduces runtime memory encryption, while Zero Trust frameworks can use more Sensors and connection health monitoring to enable real-time authentication of access to corporate resources.
For connectivity, the chip supports Snapdragon X55, X62, or X65 5G Modem-RF systems using which devices can reach speeds of up to 10 Gbps. 8cx Gen 3 also features Qualcomm FastConnect 6900 to enable the Wi-Fi 6/6E speeds available with Wi-Fi Dual Station. It has been developed in collaboration with Microsoft for Windows 11, utilizing Qualcomm 4-stream Dual Band Simultaneous technology. Devices powered by 8cx Gen 3 also seamlessly switch between trusted Wi-Fi 6/6E and 5G or 4G LTE networks.
Read More: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 4nm SoC announced
Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3 Specifications
The new Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3 Compute Platform is built on the 6nm process node. The 7c+ Gen 3 delivers an up to 60% faster CPU performance and up to 70% faster GPU performance uplift. In addition, the Qualcomm AI Engine enables AI-accelerated experiences through 6.5 TOPS of performance.
The 7c+ Gen 3 also introduces 5G connectivity for the first time in an entry-level platform. The integrated Snapdragon X53 5G Modem-RF system supports 5G sub-6 and mmWave– enabling download speeds of up to 3.7 Gbps. The addition of FastConnect 6700 brings multi-gigabit Wi-Fi 6 and 6E with speeds up to 2.9 Gbps.
The chip also has support for Qualcomm Spectra ISP that can handle up to three cameras at a Resolution of 22-megapixel or a single camera of up to 64 megapixels. There is also 4K HDR video recording support.
Qualcomm states that devices powered by Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 and Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3 are expected to launch in first half of 2022.
Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 Specifications
The Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 is specifically built for gamers who want to play Android games, content via the cloud gaming libraries, and even stream that content from their home console or PC — alongside accessing Android apps.
The Snapdragon G3x supports up to 4K resolution and 144 FPS. Plus, True 10-bit HDR enables gaming in up to a billion shades of vivid colour. It is equipped with Adreno GPU along with Qualcomm FastConnect 6900 for Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. Gamers can also get 5G support with the platform.
Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 further includes Snapdragon Sound technology, which provides low-latency and high-quality audio output. Furthermore, the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 also has multi-screen support and the ability to tether to an XR viewer via USB Type-C. The device powered by the platform can also act as a companion controller to a 4K TV. The chip also has support for AKSys enabling precise touch using built-in controllers across different games.