The News: Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. unveiled the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 865 Plus 5G Mobile Platform, a follow-on to the flagship Snapdragon 865 that has powered more than 140 devices (announced or in development) – the most individual premium-tier designs powered by a single mobile platform this year. The new Snapdragon 865 Plus is designed to deliver increased performance across the board for superior gameplay and insanely fast Qualcomm® Snapdragon Elite Gaming™ experiences, truly global 5G, and ultra-intuitive AI. Read the full press release.
Analyst Take: Qualcomm continues to accelerate the development of new platforms for 5G and the 865 Plus 5G Mobile Platform is a solid follow-on to the existing line, meaning it should see strong market acceptance from key device makers looking to build the latest and greatest smart devices.
Key Performance Metrics From the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus 5G Platform
Of course, any update like this is going to be measured by improvements to its speeds and feeds. And while I believe some of these data points are often hard for the every day user to discern, as we are seeing more streaming, gaming, and on-device AI processing, there are some important updates to this platform that will be important in the next generation of devices that it is used for. Per Qualcomm’s release:
-
Qualcomm® Kryo™ 585 CPU Prime core clock speed at up to 3.1 GHz (10% increase)
-
Qualcomm® Adreno™ 650 GPU offers 10% faster graphics rendering
-
Qualcomm® FastConnect™ 6900 compatibility – boasting staggering Wi-Fi speeds for up to 3.6 Gbps – the fastest of any mobile Wi-Fi offering in the industry – delivering performance fit for premium devices and experiences
The 10% increases in CPU and GPU performance are both noteworthy. Also noteworthy is the updatable GPU that is included in the new 865 Plus. This will have an impact on device performance as it seeks to deliver desktop quality gaming.
The inclusion of the company’s 5th generation AI system will be important for on device AI. This will have obvious impacts for gaming, but I’m also eager to see its impact in other real time applications such as language translation.
Overall Impressions of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus 5G Platform
With 5G rapidly gaining momentum and a huge jolt in demand for mobile connectivity in the wake of Covid-19 and new work from home initiatives, the demand for 5G will grow and the interest in high quality 5G devices will grow with it.
Qualcomm, has maintained its leadership role on a global scale for offering the highest end premium platform for mobile devices, and this new enhanced 8 series offering should meet the rigorous demands of device makers attempting to meet the consumer and enterprise needs for 5G devices that support key features for AI, Gaming, Image Processing and of course everyday mobile device usage, which continues to be on the rise.
Futurum Research provides industry research and analysis. These columns are for educational purposes only and should not be considered in any way investment advice.
Read more analysis from Futurum Research:
German Court Ruling against Facebook Data Collection Practices a Possible Catalyst
Amazon Launches Relational Database Service for AWS Outposts
HPE Announces Updates to Its HPE GreenLake for Partners Program
Image Credit: Qualcomm
Author Information
Daniel is the CEO of The Futurum Group. Living his life at the intersection of people and technology, Daniel works with the world’s largest technology brands exploring Digital Transformation and how it is influencing the enterprise.
From the leading edge of AI to global technology policy, Daniel makes the connections between business, people and tech that are required for companies to benefit most from their technology investments. Daniel is a top 5 globally ranked industry analyst and his ideas are regularly cited or shared in television appearances by CNBC, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal and hundreds of other sites around the world.
A 7x Best-Selling Author including his most recent book “Human/Machine.” Daniel is also a Forbes and MarketWatch (Dow Jones) contributor.
An MBA and Former Graduate Adjunct Faculty, Daniel is an Austin Texas transplant after 40 years in Chicago. His speaking takes him around the world each year as he shares his vision of the role technology will play in our future.
