Hetergeneous Compute, Symphony System Manager & Multimedia
Heterogeneous Compute:
Any post on the Snapdragon processors will be incomplete without Heterogeneous computing. Qualcomm's been working on the platform for quite a while, looking to combine the various different components inside the processor to deliver increased efficiency and throughput. The Snapdragon 835 will combine its DSP, ISP, CPU, GPU and VPU to achieve this effect. Heterogeneous compute will utilize the select strengths of each component to deliver a holistically sound package.
These will add a lot to the Snapdragon 835's VR capabilities and deliver in other critical areas as well. The most important of these are machine learning, which will play a bigger part in smartphones. As a brief example, Apple's rumored to introduce facial recognition with the iPhone 8. If similar features are used in the Android world, the Heterogeneous compute will play a huge role. For facial recognition, the lesser power intensive camera sensor will capture details, which will then be processed jointly by the ISP and CPU. This will, in turn, perform complex operations while remaining in the required thermal/power budget for a smartphone.
An important feature for the Snapdragon 835 is the Symphony System Manager. This works in a similar principle to heterogeneous compute but only for the CPU. With SSM, developers will be able to choose which ones they want to assign specific tasks to. Continuing with our facial recognition example, imagine an app that allows you to sign in Facebook with your face, regardless of the device under use. Now, tasks such as displaying text on the screen, user instruction and more will be delegated to the 1.9GHz Kryo 280 cores.
Intensive tasks such as the actual recognition and interlinking this with user identity and Facebook account details will be delegated to the higher frequency Kryo cores. Developer access to SSM will provide them with greater control over the effect of app usage on battery life. The Snapdragon 835 will also include support for TensorFlow and Caffe's neural network framework. These open new avenues for computational spread across the DSP, GPU and CPU; which is the essence of Heterogeneous compute.
Multimedia, Connectivity, Miscellaneous & Conclusion:
The Snapdragon 835 will feature improvement in its audio capabilities as well. Qualcomm will improve its Acqstic audio code to include support for 32bit/384KHz audio files. To add the proverbial cherry on top, the code will also include support for an SNR at 115dB and -105dB THD+N. The processor will also retain support for aptX and aptxHD, allowing for wireless playback. An 802.11 ac modem will be directly integrated on the Snapdragon 835's motherboard and the processor will support WiFi 802.11 ad. Qualcomm's latest X16 LTE modem will also make it on the processor and include support for up to 1Gbps download speeds.
Quick Charge 4.0 for the Snapdragon 835 will ensure 5 hours of battery life from just a 5 minute charge. That's absolutely amazing if you ask us. To make matters better, QC 4.0 will include support for a large variety of operational modes and will include greater accessory support. This includes catering to Type-C standards, which have finally permeated the market. Finally, the latest Quick Charge from Qualcomm includes a cable quality detector that will supply current only to functional accessories, which make the cut.
To conclude, it's a great year for mobile. 10nm will make it on flagship devices and a more holistic approach to processing will be its counterpart. The Snapdragon 835 will increase core count, improve graphics and take image processing to the next level. It will then combine these to make sure that tasks are carried out in the most efficient manner. The processor will soon make it to the market on the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. We'll be ready with some benchmarks when it does.
Till then, let us know what you think in the comments section below and stay tuned. We'll keep you updated on the latest.
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About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.
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