Qualcomm adds two quad-core Snapdragon S4 processors

Qualcomm introduced the MSM8226 and MSM8626, two new Snapdragon S4 series processors that feature the Adreno 305 GPU and the WTR2605 radio chip. The press release makes no mention of which ARM core that these chips are based on, but does mention that these chips will be made on a 28nm process. It seems like these two chips are a slower version of the APQ8064, which also has the faster Adreno 320 GPU. The first phones based on the MSM8226 and MSM8626 are expected in the second half of 2013.

Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., is adding two chipsets to the Qualcomm Snapdragon™ S4 family of mobile processors, the MSM™8226 and MSM8626 chipsets, along with Qualcomm Reference Design versions of both. These Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processors with quad-core CPUs will bring premium multimedia and connectivity features to high-volume 3G handsets. Featuring the powerful Adreno™ 305 GPU, 1080p capture and playback, and up to a 13 megapixel camera, the MSM8226 and MSM8626 processors are optimized to deliver visually stunning graphics and exceptionally long battery life to high-volume smartphones. Both processors will be ready for customer sampling by the second quarter of 2013 for UMTS, CDMA and TD-SCDMA.

Building on Qualcomm Technologies’ previous quad-core offering, both the MSM8226 and MSM8626 processors are fabricated using the 28nm technology node and will continue to support multi-SIM capabilities with Dual SIM, Dual Standby; and Dual SIM, Dual Active. In addition to quad-core CPU processing power, these chipsets incorporate the new WTR2605 multi-mode radio transceiver, optimized to address China specific requirements such as support for TD-SCDMA, CDMA 1xAdv and HSPA+. The WTR2605 transceiver comes with an integrated, high-performance GPS core with GLONASS and Beidou support. Optimized for low power consumption, the WTR2605 transceiver offers 40 percent power savings and 60 percent smaller footprint compared to previous generations.

“The expansion of our Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 family extends our leadership in performance and low power for the high-volume smartphones,” said Cristiano Amon, executive vice president and co-president of mobile and computing products, Qualcomm Technologies. “This expanded roadmap provides our customers with a differentiated feature set upon which to build compelling smartphones for budget-conscious consumers.”

Qualcomm Technologies will also be releasing Qualcomm Reference Design (QRD) versions of both MSM8226 and MSM8626 processors. The QRD program provides device manufacturers with comprehensive handset development resources and access to an ecosystem of hardware and software vendors, whose components and applications have been tested and validated for QRD-based devices. QRD customers are offered everything they need to rapidly deliver differentiated smartphones to the mass market. There have been more than 100 public QRD-based product launches to date in collaboration with more than 40 OEMs, and there are currently more than 100 designs in progress. The QRD versions of these particular Qualcomm Snapdragon processors—the QRD8226 and QRD8626—will also be available for sampling by the second quarter of 2013.