Introducing The Snapdragon 821: Qualcomm’s Newest, Fastest Chip Yet

Qualcomm has officially unveiled its latest processor, the Snapdragon 821, which is even faster than its popular and highly acclaimed predecessor, the Snapdragon 820. The Snapdragon 821 is capable of attaining speeds that are 10 percent speedier than the Snapdragon 820’s, and the Snapdragon 821 is doing it with better application performance and improved power efficiency. Qualcomm also noted while the Snapdragon 821 represents an upgrade over the Snapdragon 820, the former is not designed to supplant the latter, but rather serve as a complement to the chip maker’s existing lineup of Snapdragon 800 processors.

As many may have already known, the Snapdragon 820 is currently being used by over a hundred smartphone and tablet devices around the world. Some of these handsets include high end Android powered devices such as Samsung’s latest flagship devices (the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge), LG’s G5, HTC’s 10, Xiaomi’s Mi 5, and Sony’s Xperia X, among many others. The Snapdragon 820 achieved so much success because of the way it seamlessly integrated multiple new technologies, while at the same time, offering power optimization and design flexibility. As for the Snapdragon 821, it will push the envelope even further. Qualcomm expects its newest chip offering to power high profile mobile devices starting in the second half of this year. 

The really cool thing about the Snapdragon 821 is that it can be used not only for smartphones and tablets, but also for mobile virtual reality headsets and other new connected devices. This is crucial because the world is about to enter an age of the Internet of Things wherein lots of gadgets will be connected to each other. And with 5G technology soon to come (probably by the end of this decade), the Snapdragon 821 will set a precedent for future, more powerful chips that will be used for a wide range of connected devices that can fully take advantage of what 5G tech can offer.

Qualcomm must have known this because it certainly has shown some interest in the idea of the Internet of Things. Earlier this year, the processor manufacturer joined forces with Intel and other powerhouse names in tech in order to create the Open Connectivity Foundation, which aims to unite an increasingly fragmented market. Then in May of last year, Qualcomm revealed that 20 million vehicles on the road were already using its processors in order to have broadband connectivity. In 2015, an estimated 120 million home devices got connected with the help of Qualcomm’s chips.