Qualcomm isn't resting on their laurels with the recent announcement of their high-end Snapdragon 845 mobile processor. At Mobile World Congress today, Qualcomm announced an entirely new line of mobile processors: Snapdragon 700 series chips.
According to The Verge, Qualcomm is hoping these new chips will act as a middle ground between their weaker Snapdragon 600 chips and their high-end Snapdragon 800 processors. The 700 series processors are set to include "features and performance previously only available in the premium Snapdragon 800 Mobile Platform Series" while keeping costs low for commercial customers.
Some of these new features will include professional-grade camera tools, "up to" 30% improvements in power efficiency and a new wireless technology suite which includes "ultra-fast LTE" and "enhanced Bluetooth 5."
Perhaps the most interesting feature arriving with Snapdragon 700 chips is on-device support for AI via Qualcomm's AI Engine technology. For the end-user, that could mean improved voice and speech recognition, improved video capture and even extended device battery life - all thanks to machine learning.
"The Snapdragon 700 Mobile Platform Series will bring premium tier technologies and features into more affordable devices, something our global OEM customers and consumers are demanding," said Qualcomm senior vice president Alex Katouzian, in a statement. "From our cutting-edge Qualcomm AI Engine to superior camera, device performance and power, the Snapdragon 700 Series is optimized to support the experiences consumers have come to expect from the most advanced mobile devices at a lower price point."
Unfortunately, Qualcomm hasn't offered any other technical specifications for their upcoming processors so it's tough to say for sure how much of an improvement they'll be over their older, 600 series cousins.
However, we may not have to wait long to find out. Qualcomm is reportedly targeting a 700 series chip launch in "the first half" of 2018 for their commercial customers. As The Verge notes, this means consumers could see Snapdragon 700-powered smartphones hit the market as early as this year or sometime in the first half of 2019.