Snapdragon 7 Gen 2: More power for mid-range smartphones

Qualcomm has presented the Snapdragon 7 Gen 2. It not only consists of the processor, but is also a so-called system-on-chip (SoC). With it, Qualcomm is bringing some premium functions to the mid-range.

50 per cent more performance, 13 per cent less power consumption

The Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 has eight processing cores. These are four efficiency cores, three performance cores and one prime core. Depending on the required performance, the SoC accesses other computing cores. The prime core achieves a clock frequency of up to 2.91 gigahertz.

The CPU of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 is said to deliver over 50 per cent more performance than its predecessor. The Adreno GPU, which is responsible for graphics calculations, is said to have doubled its performance. The same applies to the AI Engine, which is responsible for automated processes and predictions - i.e. artificial intelligence. According to Qualcomm, the power consumption of the entire SoC has nevertheless been reduced by 13 per cent.

In games, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 optimises its performance by, among other things, calculating content in the foreground at full resolution and in the background at a lower resolution.

The Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 enables smartphone manufacturers to install cameras with a resolution of up to 200 megapixels. It supports RAW images with 18 bits and can take up to 30 photos in low-light mode and combine them into one image.

The Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 supports download speeds of up to 4.4 Gbps with its 5G modem X62. However, this peak value is likely to remain just as theoretical as the 3.6 Gbps that the SoC enables with Wi-Fi 6E. With Bluetooth 5.3, it also supports the latest standard, including aptX for lossless music streaming.

According to Qualcomm, the first smartphones with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 will be launched this March. The company names Realme and the Xiaomi sub-brand Redmi as the first suppliers to install the new processor.