14 DAY TRIAL // 2014 has been said lately to prove to be the year of smartphones with 64-bit processors inside, and it seems that things are moving in this direction, as Qualcomm has just announced its first mobile processor to feature ARM’s Cortex A53 with 64-bit support, namely the Snapdragon 410 CPU.
The new chip is targeted mainly at high-volume markets out there, such as China, and packs LTE world-mode capabilities, which make it compatible with both FDD-LTE and TDD-LTE networks.
The new Snapdragon 410 MSM8916 chipset was launched with a four-core setup, and has been developed using the 28nm LP manufacturing process. It also includes an Adreno 306 GPU.
Given that it is included in Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 400 series of mobile processors, the new chip should power mainly low-end devices.
“We are excited to bring 4G LTE to highly affordable smartphones at a sub $150 price point with the introduction of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor,” said Jeff Lorbeck, senior vice president and chief operating officer, Qualcomm Technologies, China.
“The Snapdragon 410 chipset will also be the first of many 64-bit capable processors as Qualcomm Technologies helps lead the transition of the mobile ecosystem to 64-bit processing.”
The chipset features 4 x ARM Cortex A53 1.2GHz+ CPUs and can offer support for full HD video recording capabilities, as well as for smartphone cameras of up to 13-megapixels.
What’s more, the chip is said to arrive with support for both dual- and triple-SIM setups, as well as with compatibility with the main mobile operating systems out there, such as Android, Windows Phone, and Firefox.
The new Snapdragon 410 processor also comes with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM and NFC features, as well as with GPS, GLONASS, and support for China’s new BeiDou service.
Qualcomm is set to begin sampling the new Snapdragon 410 chipset starting with the first half of the next year. The first smartphones to land on shelves with this CPU inside will become available only in the second half of 2014.