A day after the launch of its much-awaited Snapdragon 8 Gen1 chipset, Qualcomm has announced 2 new chipsets for premium, ultra-slim fanless laptops that require both performance and battery efficiency. The chipsets are named Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 and Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3. The company has also launched a Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 gaming platform for handled devices in partnership with Razer.
Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3
This new chipset is claimed to give up to 85% improvement in performance and up to 60% better performance per watt over the “competitive x86 platform.” It is also claimed to have 3 times higher AI performance over the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 that came out in September 2020. Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 comes with a Kyro CPU and a Qualcomm Adreno GPU, although the exact details of these are not revealed by the company yet. It has just been claimed that with the new GPU, the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 supports full-HD gaming with a 120fps frame rate.
It features Qualcomm’s Hexagon processor along with the Qualcomm Sensing Hub for machine learning. For better video conferences, the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 also supports 4K HDR camera quality and up to 4 distinct camera sensors.
The new SoC comes with a Snapdragon X65 5G modem for 5G connectivity and supports up to 10Gbps of download speed. There is support for Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth v5.1 support.
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The company has enabled the 8cx Gen 3 to support Microsoft Secured-core PCs along with having a dedicated Computer Vision processor for continuous authentication. It claims to enable the system to automatically restrict access when a user leaves their machine. The combination claims to give up to 25 hours of battery life on a single charge.
Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3
The Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3 is made for entry-level Windows PCs and Chromebooks and is based on a 6nm process. The chipset is claimed to give up to 60% faster CPU performance and up to 70% better GPU performance as compared to the predecessor Snapdragon 7c Gen 2. The new chipset comes with Qualcomm’s AI Engine that is claimed to deliver AI performance advancements of up to 6.5 Tera Operations Per Second (TOPS). It comes with 5G connectivity for entry-level devices with Qualcomm’s integrated Snapdragon X53 5G modem-RF system.
7c+ Gen 3 comes with Fast Connect 6700 to offer WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E with support for up to 2.9 Gbps speeds. There is support for Bluetooth v5.2 Q and Windows 11 has also been enabled on Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3 to bring the latest Windows to everyone.
Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 chipset
The company has launched this SoC for mobile gamers who want to play Android games, content from cloud gaming libraries, and stream games from their console or PC. It is paired with an Adreno GPU to enable a 144fps frame rate and 10-bit HDR support. The chip has Qualcomm Fast Connect 6900 for WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E connectivity. Gamers can get 5G support through the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1.
For an even better experience, the Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 includes a Snapdragon Sound technology that claims to give low-latency and high-quality audio output. The chipset has support for AKSys for precise touch using built-in controllers across different games. It has multi-screen support, along with the ability to tether to an XR viewer via USB Type-C.
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Snapdragon G3x Handheld Gaming Developer Kit
Qualcomm has built Snapdragon G3x handheld Gaming Developer Kit that has been built in partnership with Razor. It uses the same chip to help developers build newer experiences. It comes with a 6.55-inch OLED display and a Full HD+ resolution and 10-bit HDR support. There is a 120Hz refresh rate.
The Developer Kit comes with a 5MP webcam with 2 microphones for allowing gamers to stream or capture their experiences while playing their favorite games. There is also 5G as well as WiFi 6 and WiFi 6E support. Further, there are 4-way speakers along with Snapdragon Sound to provide an enhanced audio experience.
New Chipsets & Gaming Kit Availability
Computers powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 and Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3 will launch in the first half of 2022, Qualcomm said. The G3x Handheld Gaming Developer Kit is already available for developers.
