Qualcomm Announces Snapdragon 865 and 765(G): 5G For All in 2020, All The Details
by Andrei Frumusanu on December 4, 2019 1:50 PM EST- Posted in
- Mobile
- Qualcomm
- Smartphones
- SoCs
- 7nm
- 5G
- Snapdragon 865
- Snapdragon 765
The Snapdragon 765 SoC: Improved Premium With 5G
Alongside the main Snapdragon 865 star-SoC today, Qualcomm is also announcing a new addition to the 700-series line-up. To be exact, we’re seeing two new additions, the Snapdragon 765 and Snapdragon 765G. The two chips are of the same silicon, with a slight difference in performance binning, and are both successors to the Snapdragon 730.
Qualcomm Snapdragon Premium SoCs 2019-2020 | |||
SoC |
Snapdragon 765
|
Snapdragon 730 | |
CPU | 1x Kryo 475 Prime (CA76) @ 2.3GHz (non-G) @ 2.4GHz (765G) 1x Kryo 475 Gold (CA76) @ 2.2GHz 6x Kryo 475 Silver (CA55) @ 1.8GHz |
2x Kryo 470 Gold (CA76) @ 2.2GHz 6x Kryo 470 Silver (CA55) @ 1.8GHz |
|
GPU | Adreno 620 +20% perf (non-G) +38% perf (765G) |
Adreno 618 | |
DSP / NPU | Hexagon 696 HVX + Tensor 5.4TOPS AI (Total CPU+GPU+HVX+Tensor) |
Hexagon 688 HVX + Tensor |
|
Memory Controller |
2x 16-bit CH @ 2133MHz LPDDR4X / 17.0GB/s |
2x 16-bit CH @ 1866MHz LPDDR4X 14.9GB/s |
|
ISP/Camera | Dual 14-bit Spectra 355 ISP 1x 192MP or 36MP with ZSL or 2x 22MP with ZSL |
Dual Spectra 350 ISP 1x 36MP with ZSL or 2x 22MP with ZSL |
|
Encode/ Decode |
2160p30, 1080p120 H.264 & H.265 10-bit HDR pipelines |
||
Integrated Modem | Snapdragon X52 Integrated (LTE Category 24/22) DL = 1200 Mbps 4x20MHz CA, 256-QAM UL = 210 Mbps 2x20MHz CA, 256-QAM (5G NR Sub-6 4x4 100MHz + mmWave 2x2 400MHz) DL = 3700 Mbps UL = 1600 Mbps |
Snapdragon X15 LTE (Category 15/13) DL = 800Mbps 3x20MHz CA, 256-QAM UL = 150Mbps 2x20MHz CA, 64-QAM |
|
Mfc. Process | Samsung 7nm EUV (7LPP) |
Samsung 8nm (8LPP) |
In terms of architecture, the new chips don’t differ as drastically to its predecessors as the flagship S865. On the CPU side, we’ve seen a slight change in the CPU layout, with the big cores now coming in a 1+1 Prime and Gold configuration, rather than an equal pairing as with the Snapdragon 730. We didn’t get more detailed info on the setup, but it’s likely that the new Prime core has larger L2 caches than the secondary big cores, if Qualcomm’s implementation here is similar to the larger flagship siblings. Clock frequencies on the Prime core have increased to 2.3GHz for the regular Snapdragon 765, whilst it goes up to 2.4GHz on the S765G. The secondary big core remains at 2.2GHz.
The big disappointment here is that these are still Cortex-A76 based CPU cores, so Qualcomm hasn’t actually updated the microarchitecture designs of the CPUs. In this regard, the new chip actually seems slightly inferior to the Exynos 980 with A77 cores, which targets the same device segment.
We continue to see 6x Cortex A55 cores at 1.8GHz alongside the big cores.
Qualcomm’s First Integrated 5G Modem
The biggest change in the SoC is the fact that this is Qualcomm’s first chipset to integrate a 5G modem. In terms of modem architecture, it’s said that the block is identical in functionality to the X55 external modem, just that it supports lesser bandwidth. 4G LTE speeds reach up to 1200Mbps download and 210Mbps upload, and 5G speeds aggregate over sub-6 as well as mmWave peak at 3700Mbps down and 1600Mbps up.
Qualcomm was keen to point out that unlike other vendors, they’re not skimping on mmWave connectivity at this category, although I do wonder if vendors will actually integrate mmWave modules on the devices with the SoC as it’s essentially a high-end feature on a more price-sensitive platform.
Also very interesting is the new SoC’s manufacturing process – it’s made by Samsung on their new 7nm EUV 7LPP node, meaning the premium SoC technically has a more advanced process technology than the flagship Snapdragon 865, although in practice this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s actually better in terms of characteristics.
The first Snapdragon 765(G) devices are expected to be released in the first quarter of 2020.
The Snapdragon 865 & 765: First Impressions
Overall, today’s launch was very exciting and hopefully we’ve been able to present to you with some exclusive clarifications on the new SoC platforms.
Qualcomm’s execution in recent years have been pretty much excellent, and flagship devices powered by Snapdragon SoCs have been always extremely well-rounded. Naturally we do wish the Android SoC vendors would put the pedal to the metal in terms of raw performance and efficiency and catch up with Apple’s designs, but when it comes to all other aspects of SoC design Qualcomm is in pretty much in a leadership role. That’s not to say the performance improvements of the new generation is disappointing, I’m expecting the new CPU cores to shine and Qualcomm has promises very healthy improvements in a generation where there have only been minor process node improvements.
Two big takeaways from today’s launch were camera and 5G. The camera capabilities of the Snapdragon 865 means that next year we’ll see some exciting new designs and a leap forward in camera capture experiences.
The Snapdragon 865 and 765 both supporting 5G to the fullest extend also means that the SoCs represent the foundation for 5G devices in 2020, and we expect vendors to 5G in their full line-up, with maybe only a few exceptions at the low and mid-low-range. I was quite doubtful about the value in buying X50 based 5G devices this year as they did have some crucial feature compromises, I don’t have the same qualms about the new X55 and X52 based platforms next year, and it’s likely the generation to get on board for 5G.
I’m excited to get my hands on the first Snapdragon 865 devices early next year, and hopefully we’ll be able to get more details on the platform in the next weeks and months to come.
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nandnandnand - Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - link
"No, the Snapdragon 865 doesn’t support the AV1 codec for video decoding."Insert the Crapdragon 865 into a region of spacetime exhibiting gravitational acceleration so strong that nothing can escape from it.
ksec - Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - link
Best Announcement to Date ever. Just to reiterate again Qualcomm is not a member of Open Media Alliance.And I hope AV1 wont gain any traction.
nandnandnand - Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - link
Prepare to be disappointed, loser.levizx - Thursday, December 5, 2019 - link
What an idiot.tijag - Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - link
So, reading through this, will Snapdragon 865 catch up to the A12 SoC then? Maybe in some benchmarks? How is Apple so far ahead? Is this just because Qualcomm basically has no competition?Wilco1 - Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - link
On floating point, quite possibly, but on integer it will be closer to A11 unless the L3 doubling and reduce memory latency help more than expected.It's about cost reduction. It would be possible to use a 1MB L2 on all cores, use a 16MB or even 32MB L3 and increase frequency to get an easy 15-20% gain. But who wants to pay $50 extra for a performance gain that is hard to notice?
tijag - Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - link
Using my wifes 11 Pro Max and the speed of everything is noticeable. switching apps, loading web pages, opening apps, touch inputs. everything feels better/faster.So whatever they are doing, i wouldn't say it isn't 'hard to notice'. At this point it is a near certainty i will upgrade my S10+ to next years iPhone. first time I'll have bought iOS phone. the gap is widening and it's finally at a point where i'll put up with things about iOS i don't prefer for the overall superior experience.
Raqia - Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - link
That said, the snappiness of iPhones doesn't have especially much to do with peak single threaded integer throughput so much as IO and memory performance coupled with tight integration of iOS with hardware. The everyday use performance gains are also much more due to the better smaller cores in the A13 and the gains this year are much more impressive than those for the large cores which fuel the headlining single threaded geekbench score driving the most peoples' performance perceptions.I myself have a OnePlus 5T with an 835 that feels very snappy on all the fronts you mention on the latest Oxygen OS build; it wasn't so with prior, less optimized Android images.
tijag - Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - link
I was comparing it to the Pixel 4 XL that we got and returned after she basically hated it. the iPhone 11 is her first iPhone for personal use [has one for work phone]. The pixel 4 sure didn't feel snappy or performant in the way the new iPhone does. If its only down to software/OS optimizations that doesn't really make me feel better about getting another android phone.I'm OG too, I had the T-Mobile G1 and loved it from the start.
I guess i'm too old now and basically just am willing to sacrifice certain preferences for overall improved UX.
Alistair - Wednesday, December 4, 2019 - link
I'm very disappointed with my Android phone's hardware, but I love the software. Poor battery standby time, poor CPU performance. At least I don't have to deal with AppleID nonsense (I've had 2 accounts lost from hacking from China in the last 10 years, and they can't just reset your accounts (this was before 2 factor) even I have control over the email addresses, so Apple lost me there. "Hello, I have the email address, send me a reset email" "Sorry we can't do anything, create another account" ... NONSENSE!!! I'm not making a third gmail account to make another AppleID account...