Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Is the Flagship Mobile Platform for 2021

• Qualcomm has teased us with the Snapdragon 888, which appears to be making a leap forward.
• The new chip features astonishing computational photography and AI capabilities, as well as next-level gaming features.
• More details are to be presented today, during the “Day 2” keynote of this year’s Tech Summit.

Qualcomm has bumped the typical version numbering, bypassing the “875” that everybody was expecting, and presented the Snapdragon 888 instead. This is meant to denote that the new chip is more like a leap forward than an incremental improvement over the previous generation.

Moreover, Qualcomm feels that the number “8” has been used for its top-tier chips for a long time, and this particular model is the epitome of cutting edge tech, so it rightfully deserves to be called the “888.”

While performance details and the full spec sheet will be announced today, Qualcomm has teased us during the first day of the 2020 tech summit. So, we already know that the chip is going to feature the following technologies:

• 3rd generation of X60 5G Modem-RF system, supporting all major banks and the entire 5G communications spectrum. The mmWave support has been enhanced now, and the modem is integrated into the platform, so it allows for more compact 5G devices.
• 6th generation of AI Engine with a completely re-engineered Hexagon processor. Now supports 26 tera operations per second.
• 2nd generation of Sensing Hub, featuring low-power always-on AI processing.
• 3rd generation of Elite Gaming, supporting 144 frames per second gaming, desktop forward rendering, and updateable GPU drivers.
• Upgraded Spectra ISP computational photography capabilities, capable of capturing 120 photos at 12MP resolution per second. That is a whopping 35% faster than the previous generation, the Snapdragon 865.

Qualcomm has also revealed which vendors will have a Snapdragon 888 beating inside one of their 2021 models. Asus, BlackShark, Lenovo, LG, Meizu, Motorola, Nubia, Realme, OnePlus, Oppo, Sharp, Vivo, Xiaomi, and ZTE will all have something out at some point next year.

Sony received a special mention during the keynote, so top range Xperia devices can be considered confirmed beyond any doubt. Also, Xiaomi mentioned the MI 11 specifically, which will be their next flagship phone. Samsung wasn’t included in the list, but we expect to see them using the 888 anyway.

If you want to watch the revelations that Qualcomm has in store for today’s keynote, you can use the following feed. The company will discuss the capabilities of the Snapdragon 888 in more detail today, and they will reveal more about the tech specs and the performance of the CPU aspect of the new mobile platform.