HTC has confirmed with The Verge that it is using a lower-powered Snapdragon S3 chipset for the HTC One S in select European and Asian markets. Thanks to an unusually high demand for the Snapdragon S4 processor, HTC has instead opted for Qualcomm's S3 CPU in some instances. … Read more
In just a couple of weeks, the U.S. will receive its first Samsung Galaxy S III smartphones. The flagship phones share most of the features of the global version of the device -- Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and a huge 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, to name but two -- but the U.S. variant differs on three points: LTE capability, 2GB RAM (versus 1GB in the global version), and a dual-core processor instead of a quad-core processor.
It's this last spec that tends to get people in a tizzy, despite the fact that quad-core processors aren't necessarily faster or more efficient than dual-core CPUs.
In fact, CNET and other tech outlets have found Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 chipset more than capable in the HTC One X and HTC One S phones, which were also the first to debut with Qualcomm's fastest-yet system-on-a-chip.
There's a good reason that Samsung and HTC both chose Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 processor for their flagship handsets, instead of the quad-core processors introduced in the global version of the devices (Nvidia's Tegra 3 processor, in HTC's case.) And that reason more or less boils down to LTE.… Read more
Windows phones will finally be able to support more than one processor when the next version of Microsoft's mobile operating system hits, Qualcomm suggested Wednesday at Computex.
With Android phones already making the jump to quad-core it seems to be almost a throwback to the dawn of smartphones that Windows Phone 7 devices are still single core.
Generally, dual-core devices perform better than those with only one processor core -- as Microsoft and Intel know well in the Windows laptop world -- so it would be logical for Redmond to finally offer support for more processors in the Windows … Read more
Qualcomm is ready to take on all comers in the smartphone and tablet performance race, a company executive told CNET.
The company's newest Snapdragon S4 chip has appeared most prominently in the U.S. version of the HTC One X smartphone. And performance reviews have been positive.
But Qualcomm has yet to bring out a quad-core version like its silicon rivals Nvidia and Samsung. This recently got some attention when HTC announced a quad-core variant of its One X in Europe and a dual-core version in the U.S. -- the latter based on the Snapdragon S4.
Qualcomm claims … Read more
Today, CNET and other U.S. mobile reviewers got a chance to gush over AT&T's HTC One X superphone powerhouse. It boasts a stunning 4.7-inch display, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and 4G LTE muscle. But the spec that's tripping up many is the processor: a dual-core Qualcomm chip in the U.S. instead of a quad-core Nvidia chip abroad.
On the surface of things, the change within seems like a step down for poor U.S. customers. After all, four cores (and Nvidia's fifth, "power-saving core") are better than two, right? Not necessarily.
The U.S. version for AT&T and for Sprint's forthcoming HTC Evo 4G LTE (the One X by another name) both use Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 processor, a dual-core chip that's a strong contender in its own right.… Read more
Open up your wallet today and there are no fewer than five smartphones you can buy running on quad-core processors. Seven months ago, there was one, the HTC One X, and only if you bought the international version, which lacked the 4G LTE speeds coveted by U.S. phone-buyers.
After CES next month, expect the number of announced quad-core devices to double as the core war continues to heat up.
By summer, you may turn up your nose at perfectly fast devices running … Read more
Can a quad-core Windows 8 laptop be as thin as an iPad? That's the design Qualcomm is aiming for. But we've heard this story before.
The San Diego-based chip supplier anticipates superthin laptops running Windows 8 on top of its Snapdragon chips, according to a report in PC World.
It's certainly an enticing idea: Laptops lighter and thinner than even Intel-based ultrabooks -- an idea also put forward by Nvidia, which already supplies its well-received quad-core Tegra 3 processor to Asus for its Tranformer Prime tablet.
At a macro level, this is about ARM versus Intel on … Read more
Microsoft is providing Windows 8 test PCs based on silicon from Qualcomm and Nvidia in an invitation-only seeding program.
The two chip suppliers are working with Microsoft to provide test PCs to select developers to test and optimize apps for future Windows on ARM PCs and tablets, both companies announced today.
Windows 8 marks the first time that a mainstream Windows operating system will run on processors from ARM chip suppliers in addition to those from Intel and AMD.
In Qualcomm's case, a pre-release version of Windows on ARM will run on a PC with a Snapdragon S4 MSM8960 … Read more
BARCELONA, Spain--H.264 is today's leader when it comes to mainstream video encoding technologies, but it will have to share the stage in 2013 with a successor called H.265 that can squeeze a video into nearly half the file size.
H.264, also known as the Advanced Video Codec (AVC), defines how a video can be compressed for reduced storage requirements and--very importantly given the online video explosion--for streaming across networks. H.265, also called High Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC), uses new techniques to compress video even more.
Qualcomm, a San Diego-based chipmaker that's on the international standards group developing H.265, … Read more
Qualcomm's Snapdragon S4 chip is racking up benchmark numbers that make the Samsung Galaxy S II's performance seem so last-year while turning Ice Cream Sandwich into a dreamy experience, said a chip review site.
"Occasionally we'll see performance numbers that just make us laugh at their absurdity," said Anandtech. "[Snapdragon S4's] Linpack performance is no exception. The performance advantage here is insane. The MSM8960 is able to deliver more than twice the performance of any currently shipping SoC (system-on-a-chip)."
And what about that Adreno graphics processing unit? "From a compute standpoint … Read more
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