The new Qualcomm SD888 5G SoC follows the success of the SD855 and 865 in opening up the premium 5G end of the market.
The new Qualcomm SD888 5G SOcsets the stage for the next era of flagships according to Cristiano Amon, president, Qualcomm Incorporated said
“Creating premium experiences takes a relentless focus on innovation. It takes long term commitment, even in the face of immense uncertainty. It takes an organization that’s focused on tomorrow, to continue to deliver the technologies that redefine premium experiences.”
So, what does the Qualcomm SD888 5G SoC do
Apart from leveraging the number 8 (considered lucky because it holds meaning in both Chinese traditional and modern cultures) it has
- 3rd generation Qualcomm Snapdragon X60 5G Modem-RF System. For global compatibility by offering mmWave and sub-6 across all major bands worldwide. Also supports 5G carrier aggregation, global multi-SIM, stand-alone, non-standalone, and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing.
- 6th generation Qualcomm AI Engine, with the completely re-engineered Qualcomm® Hexagon processor. It takes a pivotal leap forward in AI compared to improve performance, power efficiency. Speed – 26 tera operations per second (TOPS).
- 2nd generation Qualcomm Sensing Hub, which incorporates lower-power always-on AI processing for intuitive, intelligent features.
- 3rd generation Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gaming including Updateable GPU Drivers, Desktop Forward Rendering, and frame rates up to 144fps.
- Improved computational photography to take smartphones into professional-quality cameras. Gigapixel speed Qualcomm Spectra ISP enables uses to capture photos and videos at 2.7 gigapixels per second. The equivalent of 120 photos at 12MP.
Qualcomm SD888 5G SoC phones coming soon
- Asus
- Black Shark
- Lenovo
- LG
- Meizu
- Motorola
- Nubia
- realme
- OnePlus
- OPPO
- Sharp
- Vivo
- Xiaomi
- ZTE
Note that Samsung will use the SD888 and its Exynos 2100 version in some markets.
Notably absent are Nokia and Google that will likely stick to the SD7XX-series for 2021.
Qualcomms announcement is here
GadgetGuy’s take – New Qualcomm SD888 5G SoC – faster, better but not cheaper
This chip moves much closer to ‘desktop’ specifications offering features that Intel may be hard-pressed to provide. A version will drive new Windows on Arm (WOA) that is gradually gaining market share as app compatibility expands. Not unlike the M1 ARM chip in some new Macs.
In any case, flagship smartphone prices won’t be coming down any time soon.
Let’s hope Qualcomm does not name the new 6-series 5G SDS666…
This video is a third-party overview
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 – Specifications
| SoC | Snapdragon 888 (SM8350) |
| Process | 5nm EUV (Samsung) |
| CPU | 1 x Cortex-X1 @2.84GHz (16% increase) 3 x Cortex-A78 @2.4GHz 4 x Cortex-A55 @1.8GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 660 (20% better) |
| AI/DSP | Hexagon 700 |
| AnTuTu v8 | 880,000+ Points (rumored) |
| Camera | Spectra 580 ISP Dual Camera, ZSL, 30fps: Up to 48 MP Single Camera, MFNR, ZSL, 30fps: Up to 108 MP Single Camera: Up to 200 MP Camera Features: HEIF photo capture, 8K recording, 1080p slow-motion recording (960 fps), advanced AI camera filters |
| Video Capture | 7680 × 4320 pixels |
| Memory | Memory Type: LPDDR5 Max Memory Size: 32GB |
| Storage | UFS 3.1 |
| Features | Snapdragon Elite Gaming, HDR10+, Qualcomm Sensing Hub 2nd Gen, aptX, advanced AI |
| Connectivity | Network: 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G Multi-Mode Max DL (7.5 Gbps) Max UL (3 Gbps) Wi-Fi Antenna: 4-Stream (2×2 + 2×2) Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 6 (a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Bluetooth Version: 5.2 |
| Display Support | 8K+ 120Hz |
You can read other Qualcomm news here
