The Snapdragon 7XX processor range is focused on premium mid-range devices. One of the best-known examples is the Snapdragon 765G, which we have seen in countless devices to date and now finally has a worthy successor. Qualcomm has just made official the new Snapdragon 780G, an SoC with a frequency of up to 2.4 GHz and integrated 5G.
One of the most striking points of the new Snapdragon 780G 5G is that it has been designed to offer better performance in artificial intelligence tasks (thanks to Qualcomm’s sixth-generation AI engine) and better photo capture (thanks to the triple ISP Spectra 570). The first commercial devices with this platform are expected to be available in the second quarter of 2021, so while they arrive let’s review what Qualcomm’s new processor has to offer.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 780G 5G Specifications
| Snapdragon 780G 5G | |
|---|---|
| Process | 5 nanometers |
| CPU | Kryo 670 |
| AI | Hexagon 770 12 TOPS |
| GPU | Adreno 642 OpenGL ES 3.2 OpenCL 2.0 FP 4K HDR |
| Photography and Video | Spectra 570 Support for processing data from three cameras Support for sensors up to 192 MP |
| Security | Fingerprint reading Face recognition Voice recognition Qualcomm Mobile Security |
| Displays | FHD + 144 Hz 10-bit color depth HDR10 + and HDR10 |
| Fast-charge | Quick Charge 4+ |
| Connectivity | WiFi 6E, WiFi 6 WiFi 5ac Snapdragon X53 5G 5G SA / NSA Bluetooth 5.2 NFC |
The mid-range goes up to the next level
The Snapdragon 780G leaves behind the seven-nanometer process that we saw in the Snapdragon 765G to join the five nanometers that Qualcomm debuted in the Snapdragon 888. It mounts Kryo 670 cores at a top speed of 2.4 GHz, a 40% performance improvement (over a certain generation that Qualcomm hasn’t unveiled), and an Adreno 642 GPU that, based on its specs, straddles the Snapdragon 855 and Snapdragon 865.
The chip supports up to 16 GB of LPDDR4 RAM with a frequency of up to 2.1 GHz, has the sixth-generation Qualcomm AI Engine, Hexagon 770 processor for artificial intelligence tasks, and Snapdragon X53 5G modem. It supports GPS, Glonass, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, and NavIC.
As for the modem, it supports 5G NSA/SA Sub-6 GHz and promises a theoretical maximum download speed of up to 3.3 Gbps. Moving on to connectivity, the chip supports WiFi 6 and WiFi 6e, and WiFi 5 and integrates Bluetooth 5.2 with dual antenna, Qualcomm aptX, and Snapdragon Sound, a feature capable of 24-bit, 96 kHz audio streaming and offering sub-90 millisecond latency.
The Snapdragon 780G is capable of supporting FullHD+ panels with a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz, in addition to an external display with 4K resolution at 60 Hz. It supports HDR10 and HDR10+ and up to 10-bit deep colors.
But undoubtedly, the most interesting aspect is related to photography and is that the Snapdragon 780G mounts the Qualcomm Spectra 570, a triple image signal processor that is capable of capturing images from three cameras at the same time. In other words, the device is capable of processing images captured by three sensors simultaneously, something that until now was only possible in higher-end SoCs.
The processing is compatible with sensors up to 192 megapixels, but also supports a triple 25-megapixel camera, dual 64+20-megapixel camera, and a single 84-megapixel sensor, in all cases with Zero Shutter Lag. It allows capturing in 10-bit HEIF HDR, recording in 4K HDR, and even taking photos of up to 64 megapixels during recording and uses different artificial intelligence systems to focus and detect exposure.
Finally, in terms of artificial intelligence, the Hexagon 770 is capable of delivering a performance of 12 TOPS (Trillions or Tera Operations per Second), a very significant improvement over the well-known Snapdragon 765G, which stood at 5.5 TOPS. To put this in context, the Snapdragon 888 offers 26 TOPS and the Snapdragon 865 offered 15 TOPS.
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