14 DAY TRIAL // Just a few weeks before CES 2015, Qualcomm has revealed a bunch of new details about its upcoming 64-bit Snapdragon 810 SoC, which will most likely be making its way into top devices released in the first part of 2015.
The chip is quite impressive and brings support for Adreno 430 GPU, which bestows advanced performance levels, has 64-bit dual-channel LPDDR4 RAM, Dolby Atmos 11.1 sound, H.265 video encode and decode in hardware (up to 4K) plus wireless capabilities.
The Snapdragon 810 will come equipped with LTE Cat 9 (in theory, it can lead to up to 450Mbps speeds), Bluetooth 4.1 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Some sources say 802.11ad (WiGig) up to 4Gbps will also be supported.
To top it all, Qualcomm is teasing info indicating the Snapdragon 810’s dual 14-bit ISP (image signal processor) that can play nice with camera sensors of up to 55MP.
Given that the Qualcomm Snapdragon 815 is going to be one of the most important pieces of silicone to launch in 2015, we thought we did a roundup of the first smartphones which should arrive with this chip onboard.
Some of them we might see make a debut at CES 2015.
HTC Hima
HTC Hima is actually the One (M8) replacement, but the company plans a big change in nomenclature while its devices are concerned.
We’re not exactly sure whether HTC is planning to launch the flagship at CES 2015 or during a separate event after the Las Vegas show has ended. Or maybe the device maker will wait until MWC 2015 – all hypotheses are plausible at this point.
Anyway, the specs of HTC Hima have leaked in AnTuTu, so we can be pretty confident the handset will take advantage of them when it hits the streets.
Hima will come with a 5-inch face with 1080p resolution. The chipset inside is the Snapdragon 810 fitted with 3GB of RAM.
The camera will be getting a massive upgrade, with HTC attaching a 20.7MP camera on the back, while a 13MP will sit up in front.
HTC Hima will run on Android 5.0.1 Lollipop with Sense UI 7.0 plastered on top.
Xiaomi Mi5
Xiaomi’s upcoming flagship phone has just leaked with a black paint job, several hours ago. The handset should make its way into the wild during a separate event that is scheduled to take place on January 15.
Xiaomi will not be taking part during the CES 2015 festivities.
Anyway, the flagship is said to bundle a 5.5/5.7/6-inch display (the rumor mill can’t agree) offering QHD resolution (2560 x 1440) plus the Snapdragon 810 chipset with 3GB of RAM.
Xiaomi will offer a 20.7MP camera on the back, but the frontal shooter’s capacity is yet unknown. The company is also planning a special version that’s said to take advantage of a sapphire display.
Sony Xperia Z4
Another smartphone that should make a debut a CES 2015 and might even make a guest-appearance in James Bond’s latest flick.
The device will be unveiled with a 5.4-inch QHD display (2560 x 1440), although some rumors say the screen will be of the 5.5-inch variety.
Word on the street has it that the smartphone will don the Snapdragon 810 on the inside, although some voices have been pointing towards the Snapdragon 805.
The Xperia Z4 will take advantage of a 20.7MP camera boasting a next-gen sensor with two additional lenses. In the front, users will find a 4.8MP camera with wide-angle view.
Sony’s upcoming flagship will enjoy the services of a high-capacity 3420 mAh battery, which will bestow a longer life cycle on the machine.
LG G4
LG is said to be prepping this smartphone for MWC 2014, but in the meantime most of its specs leaked online.
The handset will don a 5.3-inch display with QHD resolution (2560 x 1440) and is said to rely on the same chip. The difference is that unlike the other models we talked about, here we find not 3GB of RAM but 4GB plus 32GB / 64GB of internal storage.
The G4 should bring about a 20.7MP camera on the back and a capable 3500 mAh battery that’s slightly better than the one inside the Xperia Z4.
The interesting part about the LG G4 is that the flagship will probably be launched as a Samsung Galaxy Note 4 direct competitor. It is anticipated that the device will go on sale complete with the G Pen system which is quite similar to Sammy’s S Pen.
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 LTE-A
This smartphone has already been officially announced by the manufacturer. The trouble is, we’re not sure whether Samsung plans to market it outside the borders of its home court, South Korea.
The device is expected to become available in January, but for what price, we currently don’t know. The new model is basically just the Galaxy Note 4 with an Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 on the inside.
Because the phablet now takes advantage of Cat.9 LTE, it should be a lot speedier with theoretical claimed speeds of up to 450 MB/s.
Samsung Galaxy S6
This is one of the most important flagships we expect to see get unveiled at CES 2015 (or maybe not). There have been a lot of conflicting rumors about the handset, so at this point we don’t really have a clear idea on what we’re going to see.
One thing is certain – the handset will take advantage of a full aluminum body. Its form factor will range somewhere between 5.2-inch and 5.5-inches with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution and a Snapdragon 810 chipset on the inside.
The rumor says there’s going to be either one Samsung Galaxy S6 model (with two curved displays) or two variants (a normal one and one with the curved displays).
The Note Edge-like variant of the Galaxy S should arrive with a 5.3-inch AMOLED display with 2560 x 1440 resolution and 4GB of RAM like the LG G4.
Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet Ultra
Yes, we know it’s not a smartphone, but we thought we mention it nevertheless because it’s a monster device.
Sony’s behemoth tablet is expected to make it out in the early months of 2015, with a massive 12.9-inch display with amazing 3840 x 2400 pixel resolution.
Under the hood, Sony will slip a 2.8GHz Snapdragon 810 chipset fitted with a whooping 6GB of RAM (might turn out to be fake info) in a 2 x 3GB setup and 64GB of internal storage.
The tablet will have an 8MP imaging sensor with 4K video capabilities up to 30fps. It also has an HDMI out for off-putting video to your TV.
Last but not least, the tablet should carry one of the biggest tablet batteries we have ever seen – one of an enormous 12,100 mAh capacity.
Note that all the handsets we presented are expected to launch with Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box.
