Qualcomm revamps Snapdragon naming, vows quad-core in 2011
updated 01:20 pm EDT, Wed August 3, 2011
Will use 4-tier system to indicate SoC hierarchy
Qualcomm is simplifying how it names its Snapdragon system-on-a-chip products, from complex monikers such as MSM855T to S1, S2, S3 and S4. The company is doing this to help users better understand where to expect them and what performance they'll get. Qualcomm also confirmed that it will be shipping a quad-core Snapdragon processor later this year.
Qualcomm will still maintain the Snapdragon brand, but will be breaking it into 4 performance categories. The System 1, or S1, class will refer to basic chips built on an older 65 nanometer architecture and core speeds up to 1GHz. This would mostly include basic smartphones.
The S2 family would be 45nm chips running as speeds at up to 1.4GHz and supporting 720p, Dolby 5.1 audio, and 3D. This would encompass some tablets and mid-tier smartphones.
System 3 products would include 45nm chips up to 1.5GHz, some of them dual-core, and additionally supporting 1440x900 displays and 1080p video recording. Multitasking and advanced gaming would be the focus of these devices regardless of their size.
The final class of products, S4, will refer to the next generation of hardware. These would have a 28mm footprint and incorporate quad-core CPUs running at up to 2.5GHz. This would include the next gen, multi-core, Krait-based Snapdragons about which information was leaked last month.
