Thomas Dietrich
Qualcomm just unveiled its new upper mid-range Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 chipset. The new processor promises significant improvements in performance and energy efficiency. The main Kryo CPU core is clocked at 2.91GHz and the entire 1+3+4 CPU package delivers a performance jump of over 50% compared to the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1.
As usual with Qualcomm announcements, there are no detailed specifications of the CPU. Details on the Adreno GPU are also missing. But it should offer twice as much performance and at the same time run 13% more efficiently in different scenarios. Since the first smartphones with the new chip are already in the starting blocks with the Xiaomi Redmi Note 12 Turbo and the Realme GT Neo5 SE, further specifications will soon come to light.
What Qualcomm revealed about the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 is that Auto Variable Rate Shading is on board. This allows the GPU to render the foreground in high resolution in games while keeping the background in low resolution to save power and resources. Also, Volumetric Rendering, which debuted with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 platform, has made the leap to the mid-range.
The ISP (image signal processor) also gets an upgrade. Qualcomm has upgraded the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 to a 18-bit triple architecture. In low light, the ISP can stack 30 images into one. 200 megapixel sensors are also supported, as is triple exposure HDR video from two cameras simultaneously.
The AI has also been revised and now offers twice as much performance with 40% less power consumption per watt. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 establishes connections via a Snapdragon X62 5G modem RF system with up to 4.4 Gbit/s in download. Also, the 7 Series finally offers 4G/5G Dual Sim Dual Active (DSDA) capabilities.
