[Updated June 20, 2013] According to Qualcomm Expands Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 Processor Tier [press release, June 20, 2013] the entry-level S200 with quad-core Cortex-A5 @1.4GHz and Adreno 203 GPU manufacture on a 45nm proces will be expanded late 2013 (together with Qualcomm Reference Design (QRD) versions) Cortex-A7 @1.2GHz and Adreno 305 based SoCs: the MSM8x10 (8210, 8610) dual-core and MSM8x12 (8212, 8612) quad-core versions. They will feature key modem technologies that are important in China and emerging regions, including support for HSPA+ (up to 21Mbps) and TD-SCDMA. The processors will have support for dual cameras, with an 8 Megapixel rear-facing camera and up to a 5 Megapixel front-facing one, as well as feature a single platform for all SIM variants, including Dual SIM, Dual Standby, and Dual SIM, Dual Active, and Tri SIM Tri Standby.

The latest additions to the Snapdragon 200 class also feature: integrated industry-leading IZat Location functionality and support of Qualcomm Quick Charge 1.0; support for the latest Android, Windows Phone and Firefox operating systems; RxD support; and a single, multimode modem enabling faster data rates, fewer dropped calls, and better connections.

[Updated Feb 27, 2013] The ”Allwinner phenomenon” coming from nowhere in 2012 is threatening all established players in the SoC industry, even the industry’s undisputed leader Qualcomm. This was the reason why Qualcomm was forced to strengthen its Cortex based S4 Play class ahead of time already twice in the recent months, and came the time to announce its next-gen Krait microarchitectures with significantly enhanced GPU and video processing unit capabilities.

In fact it was necessary to introduce two microarchitecture steps at once: Krait 300 and Krait 400. Even the SoC classification was further changed with the corresponding S600 (for mid-high tier smartphones and tablets) and S800 (for premium smartphones, Smart TVs, digital media adapters and tablets) “processor brand tiers” while the company was yet unable to decide how the existing S4 Play, S4 Plus and S4 Pro classes, introduced just in August 2011, should be transformed into the new S200 (for entry level smartphones) and S400 (for high volume smartphones and tablets) “processor brand tiers” in order to remain competitive. While Qualcomm will undoubtebly be able to defend its SoC leadership position with the announcements already made there will be even bigger trouble for the already ailing giant with Intel’s biggest flop: at least 3-month delay in delivering the power management solution for its first tablet SoC [this same ‘Experiencing the Cloud’ blog, Dec 20, 2012].

Update: Qualcomm Snapdragon 200, 400, 600 and 800 at Mobile World Congress 2013 [Charbax YouTube channel, Feb 27, 2013]

Update: Qualcomm Reveals the Snapdragon™ 400 and 200 Processors [OnQ Blog by Qualcomm, Feb 20, 2013] the essence of which I will include into the updated table below in order to make it easy to compare with everything introduced earlier by Qualcomm in the new “Krait era” of Snapdragon SoCs:

Update: LG Optimus G Pro, 5.5″ 1080p IPS display, 1.7Ghz Qualcomm S600
[Charbax YouTube channel, Feb 26, 2013] a full HD (1080p) LTE device said to be “available in Q1 in globally selected markets” [4:11-4:18]

More information: OPTIMUS G PRO, LG’S FIRST FULL HD SMARTPHONE, LAUNCHES THIS WEEK IN KOREA [LG Electronics press release Feb 18, 2013]

Update: HTC One announced with UltraPixel camera, 4.7-inch display and Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor [BGRIndia YouTube channel, Feb20, 2013] to be available in March worldwide

More information: Ubuntu and HTC in lockstep [‘Experiencing the Cloud’ blog, Feb 19, 2013]

Update: Snapdragon 400 as now defined by Qualcomm (see MSM 8230 under the S400 in the above table) came first to the market with the Huawei Ascend W1 introduced at CES 2013. See Huawei Device – The Stage is Yours with the Ascend W1 [HuaweiDeviceCo YouTube channel, Jan 8, 2013]

This device is also The first Windows Phone 4Afrika from Huawei for $150 = Huawei Ascend W1 for $240 (in China) and more elsewhere [Feb 5, 2013], and as such it is part of the Microsoft’s 4Afrika Initiative [Videos4Afrika YouTube channel, Feb 5, 2013]

Update: The All-New Snapdragon 800 Series [QUALCOMMVlog YouTube channel, Jan 24, 2013] for which devices were said to be available in the middle of 2013

End of updates

Here is the January 2013 SoC lineup for Qualcomm as per the new announcements at CES 2013:

Compiled from previous and current (see below) Snapdragon announcements from Qualcomm. The previous announcements were described in the following posts on this blog:
– Qualcomm quad-core Cortex-A7 SoCs with Adreno 305 and 1080p coming for the high-volume global market and China [Dec 9, 2012]
– Qualcomm decided to compete with the existing Cortex-A5/Krait-based offerings till the end of 2012 [Sept 30 – Dec 7, 2012]
– Next-gen Snapdragon S4 class SoCs — exploiting TSMC’s 28nm process first — coming in December [Aug 9 – Nov 25, 2011]
– Qualcomm Snapdragon SoCs with a new way of easy identification [Aug 4 – Nov 16, 2011]
See also the post which described the availability problem of the company in 2012:
– Qualcomm’s critical reliance on supply constrained 28nm foundry capacity [July 27 – Nov 13, 2012]

Paul Jacobs Demos the new 800 Series Snapdragon Processors [QUALCOMMVlog YouTube channel, Jan 9, 2013]

Which you should put into an overall context of new opportunities as it is presented in:
– Highlights from the 2013 Qualcomm CES Born Mobile Keynote [QUALCOMMVlog YouTube channel, Jan 10, 2013]

– New Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor Brand Tiers Announced [OnQ Blog, Jan 7, 2013]

Today Qualcomm Technologies is introducing new names and tiers for the upcoming 2013 line of Snapdragon(TM) processors. You probably became acquainted with the Snapdragon processor through smartphones and tablets, though the new line will expand into other consumer electronics.

The current Snapdragon processors are labeled S1, S2, S3 and S4 to reflect the processor generation.  But as the processor roadmap has expanded to address additional segments of smartphones, tablets, compute devices and consumer electronics, so we are taking this opportunity to introduce a new tiered structure to the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor brand. There will be 4 tiers – Snapdragon 800, 600, 400 and 200 – to make it easy to distinguish the processor segmentation and to communicate the depth of Qualcomm Technologies’ processor portfolio.

Starting in 2013 and moving forward, processors will be categorized in the following tiers:

Snapdragon 800 Processors

Snapdragon 800 Processors are designed to deliver blazing fast apps and web browsing, visually stunning graphics, breakthrough multimedia capabilities, seamless communications virtually anytime, anywhere, and outstanding battery life for premium smartphones, Smart TVs, digital media adapters and tablets.

Snapdragon 600 Processors

Snapdragon 600 Processors are designed to deliver outstanding performance for today’s coolest apps, fast web browsing, seamless connectivity and great battery life for mid-high tier smartphones and tablets.

Snapdragon 400 Processors

Snapdragon 400 Processors are designed to deliver the performance, features, connectivity and battery life that consumers expect in high volume smartphones and tablets.

Snapdragon 200 Processors

Snapdragon 200 Processors are designed to deliver a valued balance of performance, robust connectivity and better battery life for entry level smartphones.

It’s important to state that the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor brand continues to stand for the same thing – mobility without compromise.  Now new tiered brand structure makes it easy for customers and consumers to see that no matter what your style, device preference or budget, there’s a Snapdragon processor for you.  And when a Snapdragon processor is at the heart of your device, you can do more and recharge less.

Click here for a deeper dive into the features and specifications of the new Snapdragon 800 and 600 Series.

– Qualcomm Announces Next Generation Snapdragon Premium Mobile Processors [Qualcomm press release, Jan 7, 2013]

New Snapdragon 800 and 600 Processors Represent a Significant Performance Leap For High-End Mobile Computing Devices

LAS VEGAS – January 07, 2013 – Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., is sampling the first products in its latest generation of processors. With the introduction of its newest Qualcomm Snapdragon^™ 800 and 600 processors, Qualcomm continues to lead the industry by once again raising the bar on performance per watt and delivering unparalleled user experiences.

The new Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors target premium mobile and computing devices. They are designed to deliver outstanding overall user experience, expand the possibilities of seamless connected computing and enable brand new mobile experiences while maintaining industry-leading battery performance:

• The Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors will deliver up to 75 percent better performance than the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and the move to 28nm High Performance for mobile (HPm) technology node ensures exceptionally low power
• New Krait 400 CPU in quad configuration, with speeds of up to 2.3 GHz per core offers best-in-class performance per watt, so processor performance can hold up to the more demanding processing and communication requirements of premium mobile devices
• Additionally, asynchronous SMP architecture provides dynamic power sensing and control for peak performance per core, while extending battery life without the use of specialized cores
• New Adreno 330 GPU delivers more than 2x performance for compute applications over the current Adreno 320 GPU
• 2x32bit LP-DDR3 at 800MHz with industry-leading memory bandwidth of 12.8GBps
• New Hexagon DSP V5 delivers floating point support, dynamic multithreading and expanded multimedia instructions for enhanced low power performance
• New IZat™ location technology combines multiple tracking systems into a single high performance, highly accurate navigation platform for auto and pedestrian applications

• Seamless communications anytime, anywhere: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors offer fully integrated connectivity and a wide variety of communication options.
• Third generation 4G LTE modem with data rates up to 150 Mbps (Category 4), fully integrated in the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors
• 4G LTE Advanced Carrier Aggregation feature to maximize radio frequency bandwidth
• World multimode and multi-band support using wafer level package (WTR1605)
• Integrated newest generation mobile Wi-Fi connectivity, 802.11ac
• Broad connectivity support with integrated USB 3.0, Bluetooth and FM

INSERT: Director Guillermo del Toro and Paul Jacobs Showcase Ultra HD [QUALCOMMVlog YouTube channel, Jan 10, 2013]

Breakthrough multimedia experiences: The Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors also introduce the very latest mobile experiences.

• Capture, playback and display in UltraHD video (with four times 1080p pixel density)
• Dual Image Signal Processors (ISP) for Qualcomm Snapdragon Camera with support for computational camera
• HD multichannel audio with DTS-HD and Dolby Digital Plus for enhanced audio
• Higher display resolutions (up to 2560×2048) and Miracast 1080p HD support

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors are currently sampling and expected to be available in commercial devices by mid-year 2013.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor targets high-end mobile devices. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor is designed to deliver great performance, rich graphics and enhanced user experience and will deliver up to 40 percent better performance than the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor at lower power. The new processor offers system-wide architectural improvements, key component upgrades and expanded connectivity options. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor features a new Krait 300 quad-core CPU with speeds up to 1.9GHz, a new speed enhanced Adreno 320 GPU and support for LPDDR3 memory. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor is sampling now and is expected to be available in commercial devices by second quarter 2013.

“With the overwhelming success of our previous Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms, our mobile processors have emerged as the platform of choice for high-end mobile devices,” said Steve Mollenkopf, president and chief operating officer of Qualcomm. “With more than 50 design wins already secured with the first products of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 and 800 processors, we are advancing our vision and setting the standard for excellence in mobile computing.”

For more information and to see a demonstration of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors, as well as the newest devices powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, please visit Qualcomm during CES 2013 South Hall 3, Upper Level, Booth #30313), Jan. 8-11 in Las Vegas or visit www.qualcomm.com/snapdragon.

– Snapdragon 800 Series and 600 Processors Unveiled [OnQ Blog, Jan 7, 2013]

Earlier today we announced several new Snapdragon processors in our new Snapdragon 800 and 600 processors (you can read more about our new brand tiers here).  Smartphones, tablets or any devices loaded with the latest Snapdragon processor will feel really fast and offer long battery and I’d like to take the opportunity to tell you more about our newest flagship processors.

The Snapdragon 600 Processors

Building on the momentum of our highly successful Snapdragon S4 Pro processor featured in such flagship devices like the Google Nexus 4 and the HTC Droid DNA, we have introduced the first Snapdragon 600 processor which will once again lead the industry in both performance and power efficiency.  Inside of the Snapdragon 600 processor is an integrated system featuring our custom built CPU, GPU, and much more so you’ll our feel the Snapdragon experience—fast performance and great battery life. The new Snapdragon 600 processor includes the following features:

• Quad Core Krait 300 CPU—running at up to 1.9 GHz
• Adreno 320 GPU –offering over 3x the performance of A225 &, as the first GPU in the Adreno 300 series and introduces support for new mobile and GPGPU compute APIs       such as OpenGL ES 3.0 , OpenCL and Renderscript Compute
• LPDDR3 RAM— (Low Power Double Data Rate 3) this faster RAM gives a speed boost to the channels which data flows.  By increasing the speed at which the data flows to each component, performance is boosted throughout the entire processor.
• Overall Performance Boost—we expect the Snapdragon 600 processor to deliver up to 40% better performance than the Snapdragon S4 Pro processor.

Our first Snapdragon 600 processor is sampling now and expected to be available in commercial devices by second quarter 2013.

The Snapdragon 800 Processors

Fast on the heels of our first Snapdrgon 600 processor, we will once again reset the performance and power efficiency bar with the introduction of our flagship Snapdragon 800 processors.   Inside these tiny processors are all of the leading technologies that you have come to expect from Qualcomm.  And we continue to custom build these technologies in-house so they can be fully tailored and tightly integrated with the entire system.  This level of customization enables the Snapdragon experience—stunning performance and extreme battery life.  The Snapdragon 800 processors will enable the newest mobile experience with a cutting edge feature set that includes:

• Quad Core Krait 400 CPU—speeds up to 2.3 GHz, per core
• Adreno 330 GPU—featuring patented Flex Render Technology and leading edge API’s that are designed to expand the use of GPU processing for general computing and other SoC tasks, the Adreno 330 GPU offers a 2 times better compute performance than Adreno 320
• 2x32bit LPDDR3 RAM at 800MHz – with industry-leading memory bandwidth of 12.8GBps.
• 4G LTE Cat 4 and 802.11ac—these connectivity options offer blazing fast, seamless connectivity with cellular modem boasting data rates up to 150 Mbps and 802.11ac at speeds up to 1 Gbps.
• UltraHD—video can be captured, played back and displayed in UltraHD (previously called “4K.”)  The resolution has four times as many pixels as 1080p. (1920x 1080 versus  4096 × 2304)
• HD Audio—support for DTS-HD, Dolby Digital Plus and 7.1 surround sound.
• Dual Image Signal Processors (ISPs) up to 55MP – with support for up to four cameras and allows for 3D captures, photo merging into a master 55MPixel image, separate autofocus and captures, 1080p30 video captures.
• Overall Performance Boost—the Snapdragon 800 processor is expected to deliver up to 75% better performance than the Snapdragon S4 Pro.

Not only will you see this Snapdragon 800 processor in mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, but it will be featured in computing and consumer electronic devices such as Smart TVs and digital media adapters.  Snapdragon 800 processors are sampling now and expected to be available in commercial devices by mid-2013.

…

Raj Talluri Senior Vice President of Product Management, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies