Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 – Built on Samsung’s 10nm process

Qualcomm has announced their flagship processor for high-end smartphones – Snapdragon 835 will be built in collaboration with Samsung.

The chip maker has skipped the Snapdragon 830 and instead has introduced the next flagship processor SoC as Snapdragon 835, which will be built on Samsung’s 10nm FinFET process is set to ship in devices during first half of year 2017.

The new chip replaces the Snapdragon 820/821 for top notch smartphone lineup. Qualcomm has not revealed the specifics about new Snapdragon 835 however what we have in confirmation now is the SoC is built on Samsung’s latest 10nm FinFET.

These processors are made of nanomaterials – molecules and atoms less than 100 nanometers (nm) in size that exhibit different properties than their larger-particle counterparts: some enhanced nanomaterial characteristics include lighter weight, higher strength, and greater chemical reactivity. Because of these special qualities, nanomaterials have the potential to transform a number of industries from consumer tech to energy and health.

Related: MediaTek’s next deca-core Helio X30 is 10nm format

Keith Kressin, Senior VP, Products, Qualcomm (Left) and Ben Suh, Senior VP, Samsung Foundry (Right) holding Snapdragon 835.

The new 10nm FinFET process from Samsung “allows up to a 30 percent increase in area efficiency with a 27 percent improvement in performance or up to 40 percent less power consumption compared to the previous version.” These process improvements, combined with the Qualcomm’s chip design is claimed to create significant battery life enhancements.

In addition the new Snapdragon 835 chip will support Qualcomm’s proprietary Quick Charge technology for fast charging the power pack batteries coming in recent high-end devices. In another press release by the chip maker, it’s claimed that Quick Charge 4.0 will help the Snapdragon 835 SoC to bring a 20 percent increase in speed charging when compared to Quick Charge 3.

Interestingly regarding recent smartphone explosions, Qualcomm puts the safety remarks about Quick Charge 4 which briefs as below.

Quick Charge 4 comes with advanced safety features for both the adapter and mobile device. Protection is implemented at multiple levels and throughout the entire charging process to more accurately measure voltage, current, and temperature while protecting the battery, system, cables and connectors. An additional layer of protection is also being added to help prevent battery over-charging and regulate current throughout every charge cycle.

For more detail on Quick Charge 4 or Snapdragon 835, you might want to check sources after the break.

The Snapdragon 835 is already in mass production and on schedule to appear commercially in devices during the first half of 2017.