Snapdragon 636 Launched: The New Mid-Range Champion?

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors rule the smartphone world. Qualcomm has a Snapdragon for every smartphone segment. The Snapdragon 636 is set to make its debut in smartphones around the world.

The premium range has the all-powerful Snapdragon 835, the lower mid-range has the versatile Snapdragon 626 and the premium mid-range has the Snapdragon 660. The space between 626 and the 660 had so far been occupied by the Snapdragon 630 processor.

Qualcomm is all set to upgrade the 630, with a newer Snapdragon 636 processor which is claimed to deliver a 40% increase in performance over the previous generation.

Let us explore the changes and advancements in this latest mid-range processor from Qualcomm.

Snapdragon 636: The Advancements

The Snapdragon 636 brings with it many changes and advancements which make it faster and more efficient than its previous generation. Let us take a look at what we are getting with the newer chipset

Qualcomm Spectra 160 Camera ISP

The Snapdragon 636 will support up to 24MP single or 16MP dual cameras, with Dual 14-bit ISPs, for the ultimate in photography and video experience.

Qualcomm Adreno 509 GPU

The Adreno 509 will deliver better graphics and an enhanced gaming performance for lifelike visuals and even more efficient rendering of advanced 3D graphics. This one provides a 10% increase in performance over Adreno 508.

Qualcomm Hexagon 680 DSP

It is designed to provide quantifiable enhancements to audio, video and computer vision use cases while being battery-efficient.

Snapdragon X12 LTE Modem

This modem provides industry-leading connectivity with LTE download speeds up to 600 Mbps and integrates the blazing fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MU-MIMO.

Qualcomm Kryo 260 CPU

The new Kryo CPU provides up to 40% higher CPU performance, which is spread across 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores.

Qualcomm Quick Charge 4 Technology

Qualcomm’s latest Quick Charge 4 technology is 20% faster and 30% more efficient than previous generation. It can enable your smartphone to charge from zero to 50% in 15 minutes!

Cross-compatible Pin And Software

The newest Snapdragon 636’s Pin and Software are cross-compatible with Snapdragon 660 and Snapdragon 630 processors. What this means is that this latest processor can be integrated into smartphone models without much changes to the motherboard and software updates can be pushed out faster.

On-Device Machine Learning

Qualcomm’s Machine Learning Platform supports high performance, intelligent, on-device processes which utilize diverse computing capabilities to deliver immersive and engaging experience. What this means is that it has the processing power to handle AI, which is the latest buzzword in smartphone tech.

Snapdragon 636: Specifications And Numbers

The Snapdragon 636 is manufactured using the 14nm fabrication process for increased efficiency. Let us take a look at the numbers and specifications of this efficient mid-ranger.

CPU	4x Kryo 260 @ 2.2 GHz 4x Kryo 260 @ 1.8 GHz
GPU	Adreno 509
Co-Processors	Hexagon, All-Ways Aware, Spectra 160
LTE	X12 LTE 600 Mbps down, 150 Mbps up, 3x20MHz CA, up to 256-QAM
Bluetooth Version	Bluetooth 5.0
Video Recording	Up to 4K Ultra HD video capture @ 30FPS Up to 1080p video capture @120 FPS
RAM	Up to 8GB, 1333MHz. Dual-Channel, LPDDR4
Maximum On-Device Display Support	Up to FHD+ 18:9 Aspect Ratio

You can find more information here. We should soon see this efficient mid-ranger in newer smartphones. It remains to be seen how well the 636 carries Snapdragon’s legacy forward.