Qualcomm has launched what it claims are the “world’s first” 64-bit octa-core processor at Mobile World Congress.
The new chipset, the Snapdragon 610 and 615, include Cat4 LTE modems, dual-SIM/dual active (DSDA), and 64-bit support. The Snapdragon 615 packs eight ARMv8 cores, while the 610 includes four.
The chipsets also feature Qualcomm Technologies’ Adreno 405 GPU, bringing an Adreno 400 series GPU from the Snapdragon 800 premium tier to the Snapdragon 600 high-end tier for the first time.
In addition, both the new chips include DirectX 11.2 and OpenGL ES3.0 support as standard, as well as hardware acceleration, display resolution support up to 2560 x 1600, an embedded H.265 hardware decoder, 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.1, and enhanced image and video processing capabilities.
“Qualcomm Technologies is redefining the user experience for high-end mobile devices by amassing the unparalleled trilogy of an industry-leading LTE modem, 64-bit multicore processing, and superior multimedia,” said Murthy Renduchintala, executive vice president, Qualcomm Technologies.
“64-bit processing capabilities are now an industry requirement for this tier, and we are meeting our customers’ needs with both octa- and quad-core configurations, as well as bringing our superior Adreno 405 graphics and powerful suite of connectivity technologies to the Snapdragon 600 family of chipsets.”
The processor war amongst OEM is heating up. Intel announced two new processors yesterday saying that the technology will surpass Apple’s A7 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800 processors.
MediaTek, meanwhile, refused to stay behind and announced the first true octa-core processor last month.
Qualcomm said that the new chips will undergo sampling in Q3 this year, with the first products to use them hitting shelves in Q4 2014.