14 DAY TRIAL // Qualcomm used its very own Technology Summit to announce the all-new Snapdragon 845 mobile chipset that will power the next-generation high-end smartphones.
Even though Alex Katouzian, senior vice president and general manager of mobile for Qualcomm Technologies, presented the Snapdragon 845 chip, the company just wanted to build up the excitement around its new platform, choosing instead to unveil all features and specs on the second day of the event on December 6.
What’s important to know, however, is that once again Samsung contributed to the development of the chip, as the Samsung Foundry will be the foundry for the Snapdragon 845. Qualcomm says this a collaboration that will help “advance the silicon manufacturing process,” but at the same time, it’s also undoubtedly an alliance against Apple, especially following the latest legal dispute on patent infringement.
To be used on phones and PCs
While little has been said about the Snapdragon 845 on the first day of Qualcomm’s event, it’s not difficult to predict that this chipset is going to power the next-generation flagships from a series of manufacturers, including Samsung, LG, Sony, and others.
Samsung will be one of the first to adopt it with the Galaxy S9 lineup expected to see daylight as soon as January. The South Koreans are likely to preview the device next month before fully unveiling it in March at its very own event. Sales should begin in April.
At the same time, Snapdragon 845 could also make its way to the PC market as part of Qualcomm’s collaboration with Microsoft that brought us Always Connected PCs. Thanks to Windows 10 on ARM, mobile chips can be used on PCs to offer a mix of insane battery life and permanent LTE connectivity.
Full details about the Snapdragon 845 processor will be shared in less than 24 hours, as Qualcomm is likely to reserve much more stage time to its new chipset on the second day of its event.
