Scheduled to roll off the line in the first half of 2016, the chip is built with Kryo-architecture-based 2.2GH quad cores. It also incorporates Adreno 530 GPU, Cat. 12 x12 LTE modem, ISP, or image signal processor, and hexagon 680 DSP, or signal processor.
The mobile SoC chip is the first chip that has its indigenous processor core Kryo at its heart, as the mobile SoC market leader is scrambling to differentiate its product line-up from other ARM core-based clones.
The processor core is the most basic and crucial silicon element that comes built with an ALU, arithmetic and logic unit, on-chip or cache memory circuitry and interfaces, performing arithmetic and logic functions.
Like other mobile SoC chip makers, Qualcomm has licensed ARM core IP and then fine-tuned it for it application schemes, adding their own designed silicon circuitry and firmware for other applications. Yet, as smart phone and tablet PC vendors are clamoring for power-thriftier, but more powerful mobile SoC, Qualcomm has developed its own core architecture with the focus on the power and performance optimization.
The home-grown indigenous core technology allows the chip maker to achieve gains in the performance and power consumption, compared with the previous Snapdragon 810 octa core mobile SoC, which is built with Krait core, its own upgraded version of ARM core.
The Snapdragon 820 quad-core CPU performs two times more faster than Snapdragon 810 octa core mobile SoC that is built with ARM's big.Little design scheme.
Its GPU performance also improved, seeing 40% gains in the performance, but consuming 40% less power.
The LTE modem circuitry boasts of peak download speed of 600Mbps, which translates into the capability to transfer 600 megabit of data per second, -a 33% gain from the previous 810 model. The upload speed achieves a whopping 200%, supporting a peak speed of 150Mbps.
It also supports 28 million pixel, or MP camera shooting and 4K UHD video shooting and playing.
Another innovation is the silicon implementation of the Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology, a next generation battery charging technology. It allows users to charge Snapdragon 820-powered smart phones to 80% of its capacity in a matter of 35 minutes. Were it not for the Quick Charge 3.0 technology, it will usually take one and half a hour.
The Snapdragon 820 mobile SoC will be fabricated with Samsung Electronics' 14nm FinFET technology.