Qualcomm gives mid-range smartphones a boost with new Snapdragon 678
What you need to know
- Qualcomm has just launched the Snapdragon 678.
- The chipset features a meager spec bump over its predecessor, the Snapdragon 675.
- The new chipset should offer both a faster CPU and GPU with a focus on entertainment.
Qualcomm's 600-series chips are starting to become more relevant in a time where price sensitivity is key. While many of the top smartphones this year features 800 as well as 700-series chips, Qualcomm has been focused on putting more focus on its lower-cost offerings. Some of the best cheap Android smartphones this year ran 600-series chips. The Snapdragon 690, for example, was the first in its range to bring 5G, something that Qualcomm hopes it can continue to bring to lower and lower costs. Until that happens, Qualcomm just added a new member to its mid-range family — the Snapdragon 678.
The new chipset is a follow-up to the Snapdragon 675, which was launched two years ago, so it may seem a bit overdue. As far as upgrades go, the Snapdragon 678 brings a boost to the CPU, a Kryo 460 that is now clocked at 2.2GHz, as well as performance enhancements to the Adreno 612 GPU. Beyond that, the chipset is largely similar to its predecessor, with the same 11nm process, and unfortunately, there's no 5G on board.
Despite only a meager spec bump, the Snapdragon 678 should appeal to smartphone OEMs that are trying to target the mid-range price bracket, according to Kedar Kondap, vice president of product management at Qualcomm:
We are uniquely positioned to support OEMs in delivering the next generation of devices with in-demand features and performance. Snapdragon 678 brings advanced mobile capabilities for daily entertainment at lightning-fast speeds over reliable connections and long-lasting battery life for consumers worldwide.
The Snapdragon 678, like its predecessor, is focused on entertainment. It delivering faster rendering times and fewer frame-rate drops when gaming, thanks to optimizations for gaming engines like Unity and Unreal Engine 4. It is also capable of 4K video capture, triple camera photos of up to 48MP, and dual camera support of up to 16MP.
Smartphone brands like Xiaomi, Vivo, and Motorola all used the Snapdragon 675 in several of their smartphones since 2019, as well as Samsung who brought the chip to its A-series line, so we can expect the Snapdragon 678 to make an appearance with these brands next year.
Samsung Galaxy A70
The Galaxy A70 offers decent great performance at a low cost. With the Snapdragon 675 and a large 4500mAh battery, this phone should keep you entertained for a long time before needing to top up again.
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