China’s AI Models Narrow the Gap With the West, Says Google DeepMind CEO 
South Korea Seeks Favorable U.S. Tariff Terms on Memory Chip Imports 
BESI Reports Strong Q4-25 Orders Surge Driven by Data Center and Hybrid Bonding Demand 
China Considers New Rules to Limit Purchases of Foreign AI Chips Amid Growing Demand 
Nvidia Denies Upfront Payment Requirement for H200 AI Chips Amid China Export Scrutiny 
California Attorney General Orders xAI to Halt Illegal Grok Deepfake Imagery 
SK Hynix to Invest $13 Billion in Advanced Chip Packaging Plant as AI Memory Demand Surges 
Publishers Seek to Join Lawsuit Against Google Over Alleged AI Copyright Infringement 
Micron to Buy Powerchip Fab for $1.8 Billion, Shares Surge Nearly 10% 
AFT Leaves X Over AI-Generated Images of Minors 
Microsoft Strikes Landmark Soil Carbon Credit Deal With Indigo Carbon to Boost Carbon-Negative Goal 
Anthropic Appoints Former Microsoft Executive Irina Ghose to Lead India Expansion 
U.S. Lawmakers Raise Alarm Over Trump Approval of Nvidia AI Chip Sales to China 
South Korea Sees Limited Impact From New U.S. Tariffs on Advanced AI Chips 
China Halts Shipments of Nvidia H200 AI Chips, Forcing Suppliers to Pause Production 
Qualcomm just announced a lineup of new mobile chipsets for the Snapdragon 7-, 6-, and 4-series. However, tech fans will still have to wait for the launch of the company’s anticipated flagship mobile processor dubbed Snapdragon 898.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+
The Snapdragon 7-series has been smartphone makers’ choice for their upper mid-range products, and it just got a new addition officially named Snapdragon 778G+. It serves as an update to the existing Snapdragon 778 with improved GPU and CPU performance.
The Snapdragon 778G+, like its predecessor, is billed as a mid-range SoC designed to handle mobile gaming and more advanced photo and video processing. It uses an octa-core Kryo 670 CPU with 64-bit architecture with a clocked speed of up to 2.5GHz.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 and Snapdragon 680 4G
In a press release, Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 695 is designed to deliver a “truly global 5G” connection as it supports both mmWave and sub-6 GHz bandwidth. Its octa-core Kryo 660 CPU can reach speeds of up to 2.2GHz, allowing it to perform faster by 15 percent compared to the Snapdragon 690.
The Snapdragon 680, on the other hand, is a 4G-only SoC that should be the choice for smartphone makers for products to be marketed to regions where 5G is not widely available yet. It features the Kryo 265 CPU clocked at up to 2.4GHz and the Adreno 610 GPU. The chipset’s specifications allow it to support Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology that could charge a device to 80 percent in 35 minutes. However, phones that will use Snapdragon 680 4G can only offer up to 90Hz screen refresh rate.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 480+
Snapdragon 480+ is also an update to the Snapdragon 480 SoC that Qualcomm said was used on more than 85 devices since it shipped. It is promised to bring an improved performance of the Kryo 460 CPU from 2.0GHz on the Snapdragon 480 to 2.2GHz.
The presence of a chipset like the Snapdragon 480+ makes it possible for OEMs to offer cheaper phones that support 5G network. The new SoC also supports both mmWave and Sub-6 GHz frequencies, thanks to the Snapdragon X51 modem.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm also confirmed that the Snapdragon 778G+, Snapdragon 695, and Snapdragon 680 4G have 6nm processes. The Snapdragon 480+ uses 8nm architecture.
Where is Snapdragon 898?
The most anticipated announcement from Qualcomm, though, is the next Snapdragon 8-series chip. Sources have dubbed the upcoming flagship SoC as Snapdragon 898 and leaks have claimed it would sport one high-performance core of Cortex-X2 with a clocked speed of up to 3.0GHz. But it might not be officially announced until late 2021.
Photo by Monoar Rahman Rony on Pixabay
