Today at Snapdragon Technology Summit, Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 7c and the Snapdragon 8c. The two chipsets are for entry-level and for mainstream PCs, respectively, sitting below the premium Snapdragon 8cx in the lineup.
But what exactly are the new chipsets made out of? Qualcomm's details in the press release were somewhat sparse, only saying that the Snapdragon 8c is 30% faster than a Snapdragon 850 and that the Snapdragon 7c has a Kryo 468 CPU. But now, the spec sheets are live so we can take a closer look.
| Snapdragon 7c | Snapdragon 850 | Snapdragon 8c | Snapdragon 8cx | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | 2.4GHz Kryo 468, octa-core | 2.96GHz Kryo 385, octa-core | 2.45GHz Kryo 490, octa-core | 2.84GHz Kryo 495, octa-core |
| GPU | Adreno 618 | Adreno 630 | Adreno 675 | Adreno 680 |
| Process | 8nm | 10nm | 7nm | |
| 4G | Snapdragon X15 | Snapdragon X20 | Snapdragon X24 | |
| 5G | No | Snapdragon X55 | ||
| AI | 4th Generation Qualcomm AI Engine | |||
| DSP | Hexagon 692 | Hexagon 685, Qualcomm All-Ways Aware technology | Hexagon 690, Qualcomm All-Ways Aware technology | |
| Bluetooth | 5.1 | 5.0 | ||
| USB | 3.1 | |||
| Memory | 2133MHz LPDDR4 | 1866MHz LPDDR4x | 2133MHz LPDDR4x | |
| Storage | eMMC 5.1, UFS 3.0 | UFS 2.1 Gear3 2L | NVMe SSD, UFS 3.0 | |
| Display |
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| Camera | Spectra 255; 4K HDR capture at 30fps, dual 16MP, single 32MP | Spectra 280, 4K HDR capture at 30fps, dual 16MP, single 32MP | Spectra 390, 4K HDR capture at 30fps, dual 16MP, single 32MP | |
| Audio |
Qualcomm Aqstic audio technology, Qualcomm Aqstic smart speaker amplifier Qualcomm aptX audio technology: aptX Classic, aptX HD |
Audio Technology: Qualcomm TrueWireless Technology, Qualcomm Aqstic audio technology, Qualcomm aptX audio technology Qualcomm aptX audio playback support: Qualcomm aptX, Qualcomm aptX HD |
Audio Technology: Qualcomm TrueWireless Technology, Qualcomm Broadcast Audio technology, Qualcomm Aqstic audio technology, Qualcomm aptX audio technology Qualcomm aptX audio playback support: Qualcomm aptX, Qualcomm aptX HD
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Putting the specs side-by-side show some interesting things. For one, there really isn't much of a difference between the Snapdragon 8c and the Snapdragon 8cx. The only difference is some changes in the CPU and the GPU; the rest of the feature set is pretty much the same.
Also, the 8c is meant to be the successor to the Snapdragon 850, and that's a pretty meaningful change. The 850 was actually based on the Snapdragon 845, which was made for smartphones. Now, we're seeing more PC-centric features light up, like support for real SSDs and multiple monitors.
The Snapdragon 7c is interesting just because it's meant to hit a price point of around $499. This is a big part of the PC market, and at that price, there really isn't anything that comes with 4G LTE, let alone anything that's thin and light. It's also interesting that it comes with support for Bluetooth 5.1, while none of the other chipsets do.
One other thing that's notable is that the Snapdragon 8c actually comes with support for all versions of Windows 10, meaning Home, Pro, and Enterprise, just like the 8cx.
Devices with the Snapdragon 7c and 8c won't be shipping until next year, but the Snapdragon platform should end up offering a pretty robust offering in the Windows 10 arena. The only thing Qualcomm needs now is to get partners on board to actually build the PCs.
Qualcomm sponsored the travel and accommodations for Neowin to attend Snapdragon Technology Summit.
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