Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 and 730/730G all about them

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipset is the most widely installed chipset for Android smartphones. These are power efficient as well as good performers overall. The latest additions to the Snapdragon lineup is the low-mid tier of the spectrum. Qualcomm announced 3 new chips under the 6 and 7 series. Now, most people must be familiar with Snapdragon 660 chipset. It is one of the most common setups for mid-tier and low-budget phones. The new update is not just about hardware improvements. It targets the new AI technology and camera improvements seen in new smartphones.

Snapdragon 665 is the successor to the 660 chipsets. Evident from the naming convention, it is not a massive improvement in terms of raw power. However, under the hood, there are massive improvements and we can see a lot of companies adopting it later this year. The core selling point of the SD 665 chip is improved AI computation capabilities. Therefore, it is going to improve the AI scene recognition and computation in-camera apps. Since most new smartphones use a multi-lens setup, aided by AI scene recognition (bokeh effect, depth sensing, and more), therefore it is a huge improvement.

The other two chips introduced are Snapdragon 730 and 730G. G is for gaming actually. Yes, there is a dedicated chipset for improved gaming performance with lower power consumption. These two chips are successors for Snapdragon 710. The overall performance gain for these chips over 710 is pretty big. These are also the first mid-range chips to use the 8nm manufacturing process. This is a massive improvement over SD 710. This promises not only performance gains but low power consumption while gaming.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 vs Snapdragon 660 Specs Comparison

Below is the table comparing the specs of the new Snapdragon 665 chip vs older Snapdragon 660. To make the comparison easier to comprehend, we have highlighted the main improvement of the new-gen chipset.

The key improvement evident from the spec sheet and as claimed by Qualcomm are 1: 2x faster AI Processing on-device, 2: 20% reduced power consumption, 3: Support for triple camera setup including Telephoto lens.

When it comes to gaming, now the new Adreno 610 GPU will definitely boost the performance compared to the older Adreno 512. Moreover, this GPU now supports Vulkan 1.1 library. For those who do not know what this means and why is it important, keep reading. Traditionally, games for Android are built with the OpenGL graphics library. The library provides basic tools for building the graphics, animations in a game. The next improvement is Vulkan API. If the developers choose to support a game with Vulkan 1.1, it gains a potential 20% power efficiency rating. Therefore, users can enjoy longer gaming sessions without needing a charge for the phone.

The shift from 14nm to 11nm manufacturing process plays a key role in improving power efficiency. Since the release of Android Pie, OS is becoming smarter in battery management. The added help of hardware will make upcoming phones’ batteries last even longer. 

The maximum supported resolution for a phone with Snapdragon 665 chip is FHD+ (2520×1080). This is fair since the phone sporting this chipset will most likely come with a 1080p display at best.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 vs Snapdragon 710 Specs Comparison

Below is the comparison table that pits older brother Snapdragon 710 against the newer 730 chip. The performance gain in this bracket is actually huge. We have highlighted all the evident improvements too.

Performance-wise, 730 is a huge improvement over its predecessor. The Kyro 470 CPU in 730 will provide a 35% improvement in performance. These numbers are promised by Qualcomm. Another major improvement is Vulkan 1.1 support with the new Adreno 618 GPU. Games that are built with Vulkan 1.1 API will enjoy up to 20% less power consumption. This kind of number would really benefit the game developers. Let’s be real, nobody wants to play games that go hard on the battery.

One of the core improvements in the new Spectra 350 ISP. New Image Processing supports much faster on-device AI computation. Its integrated AI is the same one as used in Snapdragon 855. You can expect a much better real-time focus, bokeh shots, and depth sensing.

The Snapdragon 730 chip now supports Wi-Fi 6 standard as well. Overall, Snapdragon 730 is a massive improvement and a big step in the right direction. The upcoming phones at the higher end of the mid-range will benefit from these improvements. It seems like more value for money phones are on their way.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G vs Snapdragon 730 Specs Comparison

In a nutshell, Snapdragon 730G is the same as 730 but with added capabilities to enhance the gaming experience. Note that these improvements are not minor changes. By the looks of it, we feel like we are going to see actual performance gains that will make smartphone gaming on a budget real good.

Let’s go through the key differences between Snapdragon 730 and Snapdragon 730G. If it is not clear already, G in the title stands for ‘Gaming’. The first thing to note is that GPU in 730G is overclocked to support higher resolutions and better framerates. Unlike 730, devices with 730G can sport a QHD+ display. 

The overclocked GPU in 730G is supposed to deliver 15% more performance and rendering improvement. Other gaming related features are WiFi Latency Manager, Jank Reducer, and Anti-Cheat Extensions. The first two features are there to reduce screen tearing, latency and delay, and stuttering in-game. Anti-Cheat Extension is supposed to find out if someone is cheating in a game. Don’t know how that really works though! Guess, we’ll find out with a proper release.

Snapdragon 730G offers all key features from the Snapdragon Elite Gaming series. We are likely to see this chip in both normal mid-tier devices as well as gaming-centric mid-range smartphones. 

Here’s a quick rundown of specs of the Snapdragon 730G chip. Since there are no major differences in terms of hardware, therefore, we have highlighted the stuff that is additional or different in 730G compared to the 730 chips.

Conclusion

The introduction of these three new chips is definitely something we’ve all been waiting for. Phones like Galaxy A30, Galaxy 50 are the indication of how low-budget smartphones are much more value for money opposed to 5 years ago. These devices now offer multi-camera setups, fast charging capability, smooth gaming, and gorgeous displays. With the release of new Snapdragon 665, 730, and 730G, we have appropriate chips for upcoming mid-range smartphones. These chips come equipped with proper hardware and support for AI computing and better image processing. Since the camera setups are getting better, this will definitely make a noticeable difference in overall performance.

Snapdragon 730G is an interesting one. Even though it is only released as a gaming chip, we can certainly see it making its way to phones at the higher end of the mid-tier spectrum. It supports QHD+ display with new technologies like Wi-Fi 6 and Spectra 380 AI for ISP. 

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