Qualcomm debuted three new chips in its Snapdragon 600 and 700 series designed to bring more advanced AI and gaming features to mid-tier devices.

The new Snapdragon 730 is the second processor in Qualcomm’s fledgling 700 series following the Snapdragon 710, which was used in Samsung’s Galaxy A8 handset among others.

Highlights include a new Kryo 470 CPU and Adreno 618 GPU set-up built using an 8nm manufacturing process; a fourth-generation AI engine and Hexagon 688 DSP for AI acceleration; a Spectra 350 image signal processor; and an integrated graphics library to boost gaming experiences.

Connectivity is offered via an X15 LTE modem, though the chip is also compatible with Wi-Fi 6.

Qualcomm also released the Snapdragon 730G, a version of the 730 chip designed specifically for gaming offering 15 per cent faster graphics processing, better resolution and stutter reducing features.

In the 600 series comes the Snapdragon 665 processor, which features a Kyro 260 CPU with Adreno 610 GPU; third-generation AI engine; Hexagon 686 DSP; Spectra 165 ISP; and X12 LTE modem.

Kedar Kondap, Qualcomm VP of product management, said in a statement the chips will bring flagship features including “sophisticated AI, exceptional gaming and advanced camera capabilities to a broad spectrum of devices”.

Commercial devices based on Snapdragon 730, 730G and 665 are expected to be available in mid-2019.

Reception
ABI Research principal analyst Lian Jye Su noted Qualcomm has already built an ecosystem around its AI engine for smartphones and is “well positioned to lead AI democratisation and become a key strategic chipset supplier for many OEMs,” particularly Chinese vendors.

He added the key to Qualcomm successfully extending its AI engines to lower smartphone tiers will be keeping app developers and other ecosystem partners “engaged and invested”.

The research company forecast shipments of smartphones powered by AI engines will surpass 455 million units in 2023.