Chinese corps race to bring Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 powered phones to India

Here are details about the first batch of smartphones likely to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 mobile processor

Qualcomm on Tuesday unveiled the Snapdragon 888 5G mobile platform as its next-generation flagship system-on-chip (SoC). Successor to the Snapdragon 865 SoC, the new chip comes with a third-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon X60 5G modem that is touted to enable compatibility for both mmWave and sub-6 networks across all major bands worldwide.

It also features the new a sixth-generation Qualcomm AI Engine that comes along with a completely redesigned Qualcomm Hexagon processor and is equipped with the second generation Qualcomm Sensing Hub to deliver new artificial intelligence (AI) experiences.

The Snapdragon 888 SoC is also designed to deliver an upgraded photography experience, with an all-new Qualcomm Spectra ISP which makes it capable of capturing photos and videos at up to 2.7 gigapixels per second, which roughly translates to 120 photos at 12-megapixel resolution.

Qualcomm claimed that compared to the previous generation, Snapdragon 888 would provide improved performance and power efficiency in AI processing — all at a rate of 26 tera operations per second (TOPS). There is also a second-generation Qualcomm Sensing Hub for lower-power, always-on AI processing.

During the annual Snapdragon Tech Summit Digital 2020, major smartphone manufacturers, including Oppo, Realme, Vivo, Xiaomi, etc. announced plans to bring their upcoming flagship devices with the latest Qualcomm chip.

Here's a look at the upcoming devices that are likely to feature the latest SoC from Qualcomm

Realme

Realme has announced that its flagship smartphone, codenamed "Race", will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 chipset.

“This is a milestone both for Realme and our users. Realme is working towards being a democratizer of next-gen 5G technology unlocking the potential of 5G to deliver exciting new experiences for consumers globally. We are proud to be among the first smartphone manufacturers to come equipped with the Snapdragon 888 chipset. With this milestone we reaffirm our commitment to bring more 5G devices in India in 2021,” Madhav Sheth, VP, realme & CEO, realme India and Europe said in a statement.

OPPO

OPPO also announced that it will be among the firsts to release a 5G premium smartphone powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G mobile platform.

OPPO plans to launch the next iteration of its premium Find X series in Q1 2021, which is expected to be the Chinese smartphone maker’s Snapdragon 888 5G mobile platform powered flagship smartphone.

“For a long time, OPPO and Qualcomm Technologies have shared a close relationship. We share similar visions in our pursuit of an ultimate mobile experience,” Alen Wu, OPPO Vice President and President of Global Sales said in a statement.

“If the past few years were about making 5G a reality, now it is all about realizing 5G’s enormous potential. Qualcomm Technologies’ latest Snapdragon 888 5G Mobile Platform offers huge improvements to 5G, imaging and AI experience. We are excited to be one of the first to release flagship smartphone featuring Snapdragon 888 in the first quarter of 2021. We are sure that the next Find X series will deliver an extraordinary all-round experience to users around the globe,” he added.

Xiaomi

Xiaomi has confirmed that its premium Mi 11 series smartphone will  be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC.

Xiaomi co-founder and CEO Lei Jun confirmed during the Qualcomm’s keynote that the Mi 11 will be one of the first devices to come with the latest SoC.

"I'm very happy to tell you that the next-generation Xiaomi premium 5G smartphone powered by Snapdragon 888 will be launched very soon,” said Jun at the keynote. “This is a cutting-edge product full of numerous top-notch features.”

OnePlus

Although OnePlus has not yet confirmed the existence of the OnePlus 9 series, it is expected that the OnePlus 8 successor will be powered by the Snapdragon 888 SoC.

While Chinese smartphone makers are on the frontline to bring to India Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 powered smartphones, others like Taiwanese electronics maker Asus, LG and HMD Global are likely to follow the suit. Asus confirmed to Business Standard that the company will launch in India its Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC powered smartphone in 2021.

“ASUS will launch a smartphone with Qualcomm 888 chipset in India,” Asus confirmed to Business Standard.