Qualcomm takes wraps off Snapdragon 865

MAUI, HAWAII—It took three years and 10,000 engineers to bring the Snapdragon 865 to life, and now it’s nearly ready for prime time, with devices based on Snapdragon 865 expected to be commercially available in the first quarter of 2020.

Qualcomm Technologies introduced the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Mobile Platform, aka “the beast,” on Wednesday on Day 2 of its Snapdragon Summit. The platform includes the Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF System, which provides peak speeds of up to 7.5 Gbps, according to Qualcomm.

Of course, there’s a host of snazzy new features—after all, it’s been a busy three years—including desktop-quality type gaming and professional-level camera capabilities. The Snapdragon 865 includes the Qualcomm Spectra 480 Image Signal Processor (ISP), which brings new features to mobile photography and videography thanks to gigapixel speeds—up to 2 gigapixels per second, according to the company.

RELATED: Qualcomm: 5G is all about sub 6 GHz and mmWave

The Snapdragon 865 is built for 5G, and the solution supports millimeter wave (mmWave) and sub 6 GHz in both TDD and FDD frequencies. It’s compatible with both Non-standalone (NSA) and Standalone (SA) modes along with Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS), global 5G roaming and support for multi-SIM.

Wi-Fi 6 is also part of the package, as well as Bluetooth audio experiences via the Qualcomm FastConnect 6800 mobile connectivity subsystem. Qualcomm’s latest generation Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engine and new Qualcomm Sensing Hub provide more intelligence and personalization than previous iterations.

Separately, Qualcomm unveiled the first 7-series Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platform to help bring advanced 5G to more consumers. The new Snapdragon 765 and 765G unite the second-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon 5G Modem-RF System and 5th generation Qualcomm Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engine for what’s being described as best-in-class mobile experiences, including intelligent multi-camera capabilities and better entertainment and high-speed gaming while preserving battery life.

Editor's Note: Qualcomm paid for this reporter’s travel and expenses related to attending this event.