Qualcomm is likely to give more details about the CPU and discuss other components, like the modem and the DSP, as it looks to crank up the hype around the 820 before its launch next year. The GPU and the ISP are just two components that will be integrated in the Snapdragon 820. Dual cameras can also capture multiple focal depths simultaneously, meaning an app could let you change which part of a scene is in focus after a picture is taken, a bit like a Lytro camera does. They’ll be able to grab 25-megapixel images at 30 frames per second with no shutter lag, according to Qualcomm. The chip will be able to control two rear-facing cameras (in addition to the selfie camera on the front), allowing those cameras to focus more quickly.
#Phones gpu: adreno 530 or higher skin#
It will generate more natural skin tones and capture a wider range of lights and darks, the company says. The Spectra chip in the 820 will allow smartphones to capture images and video without blur in lower light conditions, according to Qualcomm.
ISPs are becoming more important as devices get thinner, leaving less room for the camera, and Qualcomm has given its image processor its own brand for the first time-Spectra. Just as interesting as the GPU is the new image signal processor, or ISP, which takes data from the camera and processes it to produce the image. It will be able to render high-res video from stereoscopic cameras in real time, and combine it with data from motion sensors to display immersive worlds within VR headsets. The Adreno 530 was also designed with forward-looking apps like VR in mind, Leland said. The chip will even stream 4K content wirelessly, according to Qualcomm. The 820 has a new display engine that can play 4K video when a device is plugged into a TV’s HDMI 2.0 port.
Gamers should see faster, more responsive graphics, especially on high resolution displays, and people browsing the web or watching video should also notice improvements, he said. “We did a lot of innovation at the hardware level to minimize the amount of current the GPU draws from the battery,” said Tim Leland, the vice president in charge of Snapdragon’s visual compute products. The figures are based on its own internal tests using popular graphics benchmarks. Qualcomm says the 530 provides a performance boost of up to 40 percent compared to the Adreno 430, while using 40 percent less power. On Wednesday, at the Siggraph graphics conference in Los Angeles, it described the visual computing components to be integrated alongside the CPU.Īmong them is a new GPU called the Adreno 530, based on a new graphics architecture that will be used with other Snapdragon processors as well. Qualcomm first discussed the 820 at Mobile World Congress earlier this year, revealing plans for a new 64-bit CPU core dubbed Kryo.