What you need to know
- Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon 865 Plus, with the chipset offering modest performance gains over the regular Snapdragon 865.
- Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 865 Plus delivers 10% more performance in gaming and AI-related tasks.
- The first phones to feature the Snapdragon 865 Plus will be from ASUS and Lenovo.
We're just five months into availability of phones powered by the Snapdragon 865, and Qualcomm is already announcing a mid-cycle refresh that's aimed at the gaming segment. The Snapdragon 865 Plus is now official, and Qualcomm says the chipset delivers 10% more power in gaming and AI-related use cases.
Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 865 Plus will enable "desktop-quality" gaming at up to 144fps and 10-bit HDR gaming. Qualcomm hasn't changed too many things here, and there are three key takeaways:
- The Cortex A77-based prime core is now clocked at 3.1GHz, which is a 10% increase over the regular 865. This makes the 865 Plus platform the first mobile chipset to be clocked at over 3GHz.
- The Adreno 650 GPU has been turned up, and Qualcomm says it delivers 10% better gaming performance. Qualcomm doesn't detail the frequency of the Adreno 650, so we'll have to wait until we get our hands on it to know more.
- Device vendors will be able to pair the 865 Plus with Qualcomm's FastConnect 6900 platform to deliver Wi-Fi 6E connectivity with a total bandwidth of up to 3.6GHz.
The Snapdragon 865 is no slouch, but it is clear that Qualcomm is positioning the Snapdragon 865 Plus as a gaming-focused option. The Snapdragon 865 Plus will make its debut on ASUS' ROG Phone 3, and it will also make its way to Lenovo's Legion-branded gaming device that's slated to launch shortly. We'll also likely see more manufacturers launch devices based on the chipset in the coming months.
Samsung Galaxy S20
The galaxy S20 has everything you're looking for in a flagship in 2020. With high-end internals backed by a sublime 120Hz AMOLED panel, new cameras, and a gorgeous design, the S20 has a lot going for it.
