Historically, 2007 is generally said to be the beginning of the mobile era, because two things happened that year that profoundly affected the trajectory of human development: in early 2007, Apple released the original iPhone; in November of the same year, Qualcomm released the first generation of Snapdragon chips. They have become the boundary markers that separate the PC and mobile eras, and the prelude to a new era is slowly opening.
"Qualcomm Snapdragon" is a name that has been recorded in history. It is probably the biggest contributor to the mobile era. Qualcomm Snapdragon has run through the development history of the entire Android camp. All landmark Android flagships have a "Snapdragon core" inside.
Qualcomm Snapdragon chips are the common denominator of all current Android flagships. Qualcomm's advantages in technology and experience are like an insurmountable gap. It divides the Android mobile platform into two types, one is called Snapdragon and the other is called other.
"Prehistoric Period"
The story starts from the beginning of the birth of mobile phones. Mobile networks have experienced from frequency division multiplexing NMT and AMPS to GSM, CDMA, and then to 3G / With the multi-generation evolution of 4G/5G, mobile devices have also experienced a rebirth from "big brother" to non-smartphones and then to smartphones.
Throughout all these years, the old saying "buying a mobile phone means buying an SoC" still applies. SoC is the core component of multiple components including CPU, GPU, ISP, modem, etc. The modem allows mobile phones to be "always connected and always online", while the CPU and mobile operating system allow smartphones to run various applications. They are the same Forming the cornerstone of the mobile era.
Qualcomm had already begun its layout before the concept of modern smartphones took shape. Because it was facing a brand-new field that had never been explored before, Qualcomm "could only" research it all by itself:
1. In 2005, Qualcomm's first independent CPU architecture "Scorpion" was released, which will become famous all over the world. The predecessor of the Krait architecture;
2. In 2006, Qualcomm’s first SoC system-on-chip was released, and HexagonDSP, which continues to this day, was also launched at this time;
3. The significant year of 2007 , the "Snapdragon" series of chips that almost everyone is now aware of was released. At this time, there is still one year before the release of the first generation Android system.
Since then, in the past 15 years, Qualcomm has launched a new SoC almost every year with a new process, new CPU, GPU and modem. The first generation of Snapdragon became the starting point of everything, witnessing the exponential explosion of mobile SoC performance.
Snapdragon S1-S4 Series: The Savage Era from 2007 to 2011
HTCHD2↑
1.MSM7225/7625, born before mobile SoC In the GPU era, Qualcomm brought 3G network support, but 2009, the first year of domestic 3G, was still 2 years later;
2. QSD8250/8650, starting from them, Snapdragon It is already a flagship model, with both CPU and GPU having independent architectures. This is also where Android’s most powerful GPU Adreno series begins. Their huge user base has also contributed to the glory of the first generation "King of Flashing" HTCHD2;
3. The Snapdragon S2 series includes MSM7230/7630, APQ8055, and MSM8255/8655. In this generation, the predecessor of the Snapdragon modem, the "Gobi series", was launched, which was the first modem to support both 3G and LTE. And that year was 2011;
4. Although the 2010 Snapdragon S3 series was the generation with the shortest time span, the MSM8260/8660 and APQ8060 used Qualcomm’s first dual-core CPU architecture. , the Android camp then began to maintain core competition for several years.
If the SoC model does not easily evoke memories, then the HP TouchPad equipped with Snapdragon S3, Samsung Galaxy SIILTE, HTCEvo3D, LG OptimusLTE, and the first-generation Xiaomi mobile phone may still evoke memories for many people;
5. Snapdragon Dragon S4 is the largest generation product line, which is divided into four sub-series: Play, Plus, Pro, and Prime. At this time, 4-core CPUs appeared, and the Krait architecture succeeded the Scorpion architecture, which already had a 2MB L2 cache in 2012. The first-generation MotoX, LG Optimus G, Prince Nexus 4, and Xiaomi 2 equipped with Snapdragon S4 have become unforgettable classics for countless gaming enthusiasts.
Snapdragon 800 series: moving towards 8-core 64-bit
In 2013, Qualcomm launched a new naming and division scheme, including Snapdragon 200/400/600/800 fourth-tier Positioning:
1. The first generation Snapdragon 800 is divided into APQ/MSM series according to whether there is a modem or not, including 8074/8274/8674 and other series of products. At this time, there was already LPDDR3 memory, eMMC5.0 support, and QuickCharge2.0 fast charging that subsequently unified the fast charging market. A large number of now well-known technical specifications were finalized at that time;
2. The subsequent Snapdragon 801 and Snapdragon 805, constantly improving the process and increasing the frequency. Snapdragon 805 set an incredible 2.7GHz ultra-high speed record, which was maintained until 2018 when it was broken by Snapdragon 845. Its memory bandwidth is as high as 25.6GB/s, which is ready for future 4K screens. At the same time, the third-generation GobiLTE modem adds support for LTE-Advanced (4G) and full Netcom, gradually ending the history of domestic consumers needing to choose models based on operators, and laying the hardware foundation for a unified standard later.
3. In the 2014 Snapdragon 810/808, the number of cores increased to 6 cores and 8 cores respectively, and became the first products in the Android camp to enter the 64-bit era. At that time, HexagonV56DSP and SpectraISP already supported 55-megapixel cameras. It was also at this time that Qualcomm enabled the naming of the Snapdragon X series LTE modems, and the speed reached the LTECat.9 (450Mbps) level in the same year. Its specifications are so advanced that before the arrival of 5G, domestic operators had never used them all.
Snapdragon 820 to Snapdragon 855: Isomerization and multi-platform development
From this period, Qualcomm expanded the positioning of Snapdragon to a "mobile platform" and began An attempt at heterogeneous computing platform.
Snapdragon 835 Architecture Diagram↑
1. The third-generation Kryo architecture of Snapdragon 820 in early 2016 is the unique 2+2 giant core route in the Android camp, introducing "CPU GPU DSP" Heterogeneous AI architecture. In the same year, Spectra180ISP and Hexagon680DSP were born, and their exaggerated throughput has laid the hardware foundation for subsequent computational photography in advance;
2. The 2017 Snapdragon 835 refreshed the energy efficiency record of flagship SoC, making Android The battery life of the flagship of the camp surpassed the iPhone for the first time overall, and the X16LTE modem at that time had already reached the 1000Mbps mark. This generation introduced a large number of new attributes such as machine learning and VR, and began to expand into the notebook field. QC4/QC4 fast charging was also born at this time.
The leading position of Snapdragon 835 also makes the Xiaomi 6, Galaxy S8 and other models equipped with it extremely "longevity";
3. Snapdragon 845 is the standard configuration of the flagship in 2018, with a transistor count of 5.3 billion and a Kryo385Gold architecture The frequency has reached 2.8GHz, the performance of Adreno630 has also reached 737GFLOPS, Spectra280ISP supports up to 192 million pixel cameras, this generation also introduces Qualcomm’s own aptXHD Bluetooth standard;
4. In 2019, Snapdragon On the 855, Qualcomm used the 1 3 4 architecture in the CPU for the first time, and the GPU performance broke the 1000 GFLOPS mark. At this time, mobile gaming was booming, and Snapdragon 845 launched the Snapdragon Elite Gaming solution, which began to provide an overall coordinated gaming experience and supports a series of technologies such as PBR physical rendering.
The "modern" Snapdragon: still synonymous with flagship
1. Then there is the familiar Snapdragon 865. As the 2020 flagship, its specifications are still mainstream today. The number of transistors in the Snapdragon 865 reached 10.3 billion. The Kryo585 architecture based on the A77 took it to a higher level in IPC. The Adreno650 relied on its superior energy efficiency ratio to increase the frequency of the subsequent Snapdragon 865 and Snapdragon 870. , FP32 performance has soared from 1200GFLOPS to 1370GFLOPS, and integrated an independent security module SPU;
2. There is no need to elaborate on the old friend Snapdragon 888. The 2021 royal flagship core, the CPU part has the long-lost ultra-large core X1 in the Android camp, 4MB level 3 cache, the CPU performance is improved by 25%, and the GPU is improved by 35%. It brings VRS variable shading rate technology to the mobile terminal that was only available in previous client games. The performance of the sixth-generation AI engine has increased by 50%, reaching 26TOPS. It integrates the X605G modem and supports 100W-level QC5 fast charging.
At the end of 2021, Qualcomm launched a new naming method. The rumored Snapdragon 895 finally appeared as the "new generation Snapdragon 8", and Adreno GPU no longer uses numerical suffixes.
The new Snapdragon 8 brings the biggest CPU architecture innovation in recent years. The super large core, large core and small core are all updated to the Armv9 instruction set. The X2 super core frequency has reached 2.995GHz, 6MBL3 cache and 4MSLC cache. . What’s even more frightening is that the performance of this generation’s GPU has skyrocketed by more than 50%, taking GPU performance to another dimension.
A love letter to gamers: Snapdragon Elite Gaming
Looking back at Snapdragon now, it has expanded into multiple fields such as tablets, PCs, XR devices, wearables, the Internet of Things, and automobiles. computing platform.
After years of development, the sub-modules of games, audio, speakers, and connections that users care about most have grown and developed, giving birth to different technology matrices such as Snapdragon Elite Gaming, Snapdragon Sound, Snapdragon Sight, and Snapdragon Connect. ***Same Forming an important core of Qualcomm Snapdragon flagship experience.
Facing the crazy growing demand for games, Qualcomm launched Snapdragon Elite Gaming, a system-level gaming experience solution in the Snapdragon 855 era, which deeply integrates the powerful Adreno GPU performance, touch, audio, connectivity and other previously independent parts. Fusion optimization.
The first-generation Snapdragon Elite Gaming on the Snapdragon 855 introduced physically-based rendering (PBR) technology in PC games, which greatly improved the lighting effects and textures, making it more terrifying and more GPU-focused than Genshin Impact. The "baking machine game" "Guangming Mountain" can show a picture effect that is truly close to that of a PC game.
The mixed calling of CPU, GPU, and AI engine multi-module, technical features such as aptXAdaptive and QualcommAqstic audio, Vulkan1.1 support, 4KTVOut, and anti-cheating extension programs were all introduced at this time.
The second-generation Snapdragon Elite Gaming on Snapdragon 865 has greatly improved the frame rate and HDR effect, bringing 90/120/144FPS high frame rate support, True10-bitHDR and AdrenoHDR fast mixing technology, and end-game Level forward rendering technology further enhances particle rendering effects.
The third generation of Snapdragon Elite Gaming a year later brought another terminal game-level feature to the Snapdragon 888 - real-time variable resolution rendering technology (VRS), which can render non-visual Mixed shading of focus content greatly improves energy efficiency without sacrificing image quality. In addition, there are many features such as GameQuickTouch that reduces touch delay.
On the new generation of Snapdragon 8, the 4th generation Snapdragon Elite Gaming has arrived as scheduled. Among the more than 50 optimizations, VRS is upgraded to VRSPro, which allows developers to control the rendering resolution based on the screen position and supports the same PC-level stereoscopic rendering technology. At this time, Snapdragon Elite Gaming can allocate audio tasks to HexagonDSP and already has spatial audio support.
In addition, Qualcomm also released the Snapdragon Game Toolkit (Snapdragon Game Toolkit), allowing developers to better utilize previous game results and sample codes.
Snapdragon Sound, Snapdragon Sight and Snapdragon Connect, which have no other branches
In addition to games, Qualcomm has a large number of important functions such as sound, imaging, and connectivity that are “only available in one store” technical characteristics.
In early 2021, Qualcomm released the SnapdragonSound brand, hoping to integrate a series of audio software and hardware technologies to provide a stronger wireless audio experience. Contrary to the stereotype of "Bluetooth has no sound quality", the Qualcomm AqsticDAC in Snapdragon Sound can support PCM formats and DSD formats up to 32-bit384kHz.
After introducing aptXLossless technology, aptXAdaptive can adjust the transmission rate between 140Kbps and 1Mbps according to the environment, achieving the highest 24-bit96kHz high-definition audio transmission and the lowest 89 millisecond delay, and 16-bit44.1kHzCD lossless Sound quality support. In addition, Qualcomm active noise reduction (ANC) technology, aptXVoice ultra-wideband voice and other behind-the-scenes technologies are actually part of Snapdragon Sound.
In addition, the introduction of the LEAudio feature also allows the new generation of Snapdragon 8 to realize functions such as broadcast audio, stereo audio recording and game voice synchronization return.
In the photography sector, which is a battleground for manufacturers, SnapdragonSight is a newly divided imaging technology solution. On the new Snapdragon 8, the first 18-bit ISP on the mobile side is part of SnapdragonSight. The former can process an astonishing 3.2 billion pixels per second and can take a single 200-megapixel photo or three 36-megapixel photos at the same time. While greatly improving the imaging speed, it is also the core hardware foundation for multi-frame synthesis, allowing its super night shooting mode to be violently upgraded from the previous generation's 5-frame stack to a 30-frame stack.
As for video, the new Snapdragon is the first mobile platform to support 8KHDR video shooting. The video specification of 1 billion colors HDR10 is probably beyond the reach within 5 or 6 years.
But the most interesting thing is definitely the newly added low-power ISP, which can be online around the clock and continue to provide various AI support such as face detection.
The last thing to talk about is the SnapdragonConnect connection part, which is Qualcomm’s home field. The X655G modem on the new Snapdragon 8 is the world's first 5G solution that complies with the 3GPP Release 16 specification. The peak downlink speed has reached 10Gbps and the upload peak speed is 3Gbps, which is faster than the downlink of many 5G products.
Starting from the Snapdragon 865, the FastConnect series of independent connection subsystems, even the FastConnect6800 at the time, also had Bluetooth 5.1, Wi-Fi6, and 60GHz Wi-Fi (10Gbps) support. The FastConnect6900 on the new generation of Snapdragon 8 (the same generation also has the FastConnect6700), in addition to Bluetooth 5.2, also supports Wi-Fi6E, and the speed is directly capped at 3.6Gbps.
Summary: Invincibility is the loneliest
In the latest statistics on patent quality and patent scale of semiconductor companies, Qualcomm has become a pole in the semiconductor industry with its extremely large technology reserves.
The Snapdragon mobile platform has been based on the "Long Aotian" script since the day it was born. It already had a self-developed CPU architecture 2 years before the release of the iPhone, and then Scorpion, Krait, and Kryo architectures came along the way. The GPU and modem are even more extreme. The Adreno GPU has been the strongest in Android from the beginning to the present. The Snapdragon X series modem has never been threatened and has worked tirelessly to refresh the speed of every node in the 4G and 5G eras.
The seven founders of Qualcomm, the third from the right is Dr. Ivan Jacobs↑
Qualcomm’s unique business model allows it to run wildly in technology. Looking back at the history of the Snapdragon series, you will find that it often produces hardware features that are years ahead of the curve, and its "competition" with other rivals has never been on the same level.
Qualcomm founder Alvin Jacobs, when looking back on the experience of founding Qualcomm, said: "We had no business plan at the time. In the first six months, we came up with a lot of ideas. , these ideas have kept us busy until now. "The strength of Snapdragon may have been set since the founding of Qualcomm.
(The content of this article is reproduced from Leifeng.com)