Massive Android boost will bring flagship features to vastly cheaper smartphones

19 March 2023 , 11:34

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Massive Android boost will bring flagship features to vastly cheaper smartphones

If the latest Galaxy S23 Ultra from Samsung is a little out of your price range don't panic. Qualcomm - which produces some of the most popular phone processors on the planet - has announced the release of a speedy new chip which looks set to bring some seriously impressive power to mid-range devices. That means those who don't want to splash out over £800 on a new call maker won't miss out on having a top-notch experience.

In fact, Qualcomm is boasting that its new Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 will offer around 25% better performance than rival chips in the same category and that's not all as improved efficiency should also mean longer battery life.

Along with more oomph, phones featuring the Gen 2 should be able to take much better photos. That's thanks to the processor being able to shoot 30 images at the same time which it then merges - using the best bits of each photo - to create the ultimate snap.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 (QUALCOMM)

Qualcomm is even promising this feature will work at night which should mean brighter, clearer, more colourful photos when the sun goes down.

The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 also supports up to 200MP photo capture and impressive High Dynamic Range (HDR) video capture is possible via triple exposure from two cameras simultaneously.

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Another bonus of this upgrade will come to anyone who loves gaming on their phones with the Gen 2 supporting Snapdragon Elite Gaming features such as Auto Variable Rate Shading and Volumetric Rendering. This will bring console-style graphics to your pocket with things appearing more realistic than other cheaper devices.

Finally, the phones that have this processor tucked inside their shells will get improved 5G download speeds and extra responsive Wi-Fi for faster connectivity at home.

There's no word on what devices will feature this processor but firms including Motorola, Samsung and Xiaomi all used the previous Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 in their mid-tier phones which all cost half the price of more premium flagships

“Snapdragon is synonymous with premium mobile experiences. Today’s launch of the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 illustrates our ability to bring some of the most in-demand flagship features to our Snapdragon-7 series—making them accessible to more people,” said Christopher Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile handsets, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “We are committed to delivering the most innovative solutions to meet the needs of consumers, our customers, and the industry at large.”

Dave Snelling