Skip to main content

Qualcomm targets ‘premium midrange’ phones with the Snapdragon 710

Qualcomm wants to make midrange phones a little more high tech. The company announced the creation of the 700-series earlier this year and now it’s unveiling the first chip in that new series — the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710.

The Snapdragon 710 is a whole lot more than just a slightly more powerful 600-series chip. It’s aimed at bringing some of the features from the 800 series — like improved security and artificial intelligence — to a cheaper chip that could make its way to some of the so-called “premium midrange” phones to be launched this year.

The Qualcomm 710 represents a number of “firsts” for Qualcomm, outside of the 800-series. Apart from the Snapdragon 845, it’s the first chip to be built on the 110-nanometer process. It also features a third-generation Kryo CPU and an Adreno 6-series GPU.

Under the hood, the Snapdragon 710 represents a modest performance boost over the current 600-series flagship, the Snapdragon 660. According to Qualcomm, with the Kryo 360 CPU, the chip offers a performance boost of up to 20 percent compared to the Snapdragon 660, while saving up to 40 percent of power during 4K video playback and mobile gaming. That is pretty impressive for a so-called midrange chip.

There are other things that make the chip decidedly better than the Snapdragon 660 too. For example, the chip boasts a Spectra 250 image signal processor, which is aimed at reducing image noise, image stabilization, and even performing active depth sensing — a feature that may lead to more secure facial recognition on midrange phones. The Spectra 250 ISP supports single-sensor cameras up to 32 megapixels, and dual-sensor cameras up to 20 megapixels.

Of course, none of this really matters if the chip doesn’t make its way into real-world phones — and while we’re certain it will, no phones using the tech have been announced just yet. Still, Qualcomm says it’s working with partners on deploying the new processor, and we expect to see phones announced with the new chip over the next few months, if not sooner.

The release of the Snapdragon 710 highlights the rise of the all-important “premium midrange” phone. As flagship phones, like the iPhone X, get more expensive, customers are looking for devices that offer flagship features at a lower price. That is likely where phones with the Snapdragon 710 will come in.

Editors' Recommendations

Christian de Looper
Christian’s interest in technology began as a child in Australia, when he stumbled upon a computer at a garage sale that he…
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X35 will bring 5G to your next smartwatch
Qualcomm Snapdragon X35.

Qualcomm is poised to deliver 5G capabilities to a whole new class of mobile devices with a new modem chip that bridges the gap between today's best smartphones and much lower-bandwidth devices like payment terminals and home accessories.

Announced today, Qualcomm's Snapdragon X35 5G Modem-RF system is the world's first to adopt NR-Light, a new 5G standard for midtier devices that don't require the power and performance of a 5G-capable smartphone or tablet — but can still take advantage of the lower latency and power consumption offered by 5G technology.
Filling the 5G void

Read more
This exclusive Snapdragon chip supercharges the Galaxy S23 in 4 big ways
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra on a desk.

The Samsung Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus, and Galaxy S23 Ultra all use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor — but it’s not just any Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It’s the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 For Galaxy, and it’s a little different from the chip found in other, non-Samsung smartphones.

No, it's not just a marketing gimmick for Samsung. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside a Galaxy S23 is different from than one that'll be used in other Android phones throughout 2023. Here are four of the most important ways the processor changed, and what it means for the Galaxy S23.

Read more
Android phones are stealing (and beating) the iPhone 14’s best feature at CES 2023
Iridium Satellite constellation

Qualcomm has announced Snapdragon Satellite at CES 2023, which will be the world’s first satellite-based solution for two-way messaging on premium smartphones and more. Unlike the iPhone 14’s satellite connectivity, which is only for emergency use, Snapdragon Satellite will work for two-way text messaging and some supported messaging apps, as well as emergency use cases.

Snapdragon Satellite is an agreement between Qualcomm and Iridium, and it will be in next-generation premium Android smartphones using the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. Garmin will also support Snapdragon Satellite for emergency messaging.

Read more