Qualcomm with the next flagship chip: Snapdragon 888 Plus

1/7/2021

Qualcomm has officially announced the follow up to its flagship Snapdragon 888 platform: the Snapdragon 888 Plus.

The company marked the return of Mobile World Congress by unveiling the chip, which will bring fast performance, premium connectivity, AI-enhanced gameplay and more to mobile users later this year. The Snapdragon 888 Plus packs an upgraded version of the Qualcomm Kryo 680 CPU found in the 888.

The processor, which offered 25% better performance on the 888, now has a prime core clock speed of up to 3.0 GHz, allowing users to open social feeds, load games and access content quickly.

Snapdragon 888 features and cameras
The 888 Plus also takes advantage of a 20% AI performance upgrade over the 888 thanks to the 6th gen Qualcomm AI Engine. Up to 32 TOPS AI performance allows the 888 Plus to run multiple neural networks at once, making video calls more immersive, enabling AI-based noise cancellation in audio and allowing for single camera bokeh effects.

Speaking of cameras, The Spectra 580 Triple ISP is capable of capturing from three lenses simultaneously and recording HDR video in over a billion colours. The camera also benefits from AI-powered shots in low light with reduced noise, and 8K encoding and decoding for true-to-life videos.

The 888 Plus also has access to the full suite of Snapdragon Elite Gaming features, offering better responsiveness and performance while gaming. This includes Game Quick Touch to reduce touch latency by up to 20%, Variable Rate Shading to improve performance without draining the battery, support for real-time translation and voice commands and up to 144Hz QHD display support.

Lastly, the 3rd gen Snapdragon X60 5G Modem-RF System means users will be able to reach peak download speeds of up to 7.5 Gbps, while the FastConnect 6900 Mobile Connectivity System delivers Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, along with premium audio with Bluetooth and Snapdragon Sound Technology.

Snapdragon 888 phones
“Snapdragon is synonymous with premium Android experiences. Our latest flagship Snapdragon 888 Plus 5G Mobile Platform will help deliver the premium entertainment, connectivity, and gaming experiences users deserve”, said senior vice president and general manager of Qualcomm’s mobile handset business, Christopher Patrick.

“We’re excited to see OEMs launch with products based on our highest performing platform”.

The Snapdragon 888 Plus will be available from Q3 2021, with ASUS, Honor, Motorola, Vivo and Xiaomi all set to release phones powered by the platform this year.