While the first smartphones powered by Qualcomm’s super-powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 were just announced a few weeks ago, we already know a bit more about its successor for 2023.
Qualcomm’s high-end processors are generally the most used chips for Android smartphones, and the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 is already found on board Xiaomi 12, OnePlus 10 Pro or even American Galaxy S22. Although the chips are extremely versatile, Qualcomm has always skipped a feature : the AV1 codec.
According to Protocol’s sources, Qualcomm plans to add the support for the AV1 open video codec in a processor which is scheduled for release at the end of the year, which reminds us of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Until now, Qualcomm’s current chips did not support native AV1 video decoding, unlike Samsung’s Exynos 2200 and 2100 SoCs, or MediaTek’s processors such as than the new Dimensity 9000.
What is the AV1 codec?
For those who don’t know, the AV1 video codec aims to improve bandwidth efficiency on high quality videos and has already been adopted by YouTube, Disney+ and Netflix few years ago. It was developed as a successor to the VP9 and offers significantly better data compression than other video codecsmaking it the perfect format for streaming video without losing quality.
At equal video quality, the AV1 codec reduces file size, freeing up storage space. Another advantage is that it is 30% more efficient than H.265 codecwhich makes the upgrade worthwhile if you’re a heavy consumer of streaming videos.
As of now, not much is known about the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The chip carries the code name SM8550 and is set to launch at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Tech Summit in December 2022. As is often the case, this is Xiaomi which should be the first to launch a smartphone with the new generation of chip. In the meantime, all eyes are on Qualcomm’s next high-end chip that will replace the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 this summer, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus.
Source: Protocol
