Qualcomm has announced the release of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1. This is a new mid-range chipset that is targeted at the premium mid-range phone segment. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 will replace the Snapdragon 778G chipset and it’s said to be bringing some major improvements. But why is Qualcomm bringing a new mid-range chipset? The answer is simple, MediaTek.
See Also: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1: TSMC 4nm, 10% faster CPU, 30% more efficient
While Qualcomm has been busy dominating the flagship phone segment, MediaTek has gradually crawled up and taken the premium mid-range phone segment. According to the April 2022 AnTuTu score test carried out, MediaTek chipsets beat Snapdragon chipsets in the mid-range segment. A good example is the recently released MediaTek Dimensity 8100 Max chipset.
So far, there has been no Qualcomm chipset in the mid-range segment that equals the performance and efficiency of the Dimensity 8100 Max chip. The only way for Qualcomm to come back into this segment is to release a new chipset and here comes the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1.
See Also: Best Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Phones you can buy in 2022
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 is a premium mid-range chipset. It is the successor to the Snapdragon 778G chipset. According to Qualcomm, the new chip handles graphics 20% faster than the outgoing Snapdragon 778G while AI tasks are said to perform 30% better on the new platform.
The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 is built on the new 4nm platform and some of its features include Qualcomm’s dedicated AI Engine, support for up to 200MP image capture, and Android Ready SE for e-money solutions. It has an octa-core CPU (Kryo) with a speed clocked at 2.4Ghz and the CPU is paired with the Adreno 662 GPU.
See Also: MediaTek Dimensity 1300 chipset launched with TSMC 6nm Process, 5G, and more
Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 also features the Adreno Frame Motion Engine. Qualcomm claims this feature will double framerates in games while maintaining the same power consumption as the SD 778G. The new chip can handle up to 16GB LP-DDR5 RAM.
As per network connectivity, the Snapdragon 7 Gen has support for 5G. It has the Snapdragon X62 5G modem capable of 4.4Gbps download speeds with dual standby 5G connectivity on both (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) modes. Other features are WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3, Snapdragon Sound, and aptX support.
See Also: Samsung Exynos 2200 vs Snapdragon 8 Gen 1: chipset comparison
When it comes to the camera, the new chipset has the Qualcomm Spectra triple ISP. This ISP has support for up to 200MP photo capture and 4K HDR video recording. This means the Snapdragon 7 Gen is capable of 10-bit HEIC photo capture and HEVC video recording. The SD7 Gen is also the first chipset to feature the Android SE and Trusted Management Engine which promises optimal security for digital keys and wallets.
Phones that will feature the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chip will be in direct competition with phones that feature the Dimensity 8100 Max chipset. One of the first phones expected to feature the SD 7 Gen 1 is the Reno 8 Pro which is set to be announced on May 23.
