Qualcomm could unveil next-gen Snapdragon 7 series for mid-range phones on March 17 | Digit

Qualcomm China is set to host a local event on March 17th, where it is expected to unveil its next-generation Snapdragon 7 series chipset designed for mid-range smartphones. It is speculated that the mobile platform will be named Snapdragon 7 Gen 2, in keeping with the naming convention of the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. However, there have also been rumours suggesting that the new chipset could be called Snapdragon 7+ Gen 1, and thus it cannot be confirmed which name will ultimately be chosen.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 rumoured specifications

The upcoming SoC is likely the SM7475 that recently surfaced in a Geekbench listing. If true, it could include one Cortex-X2 core clocked at 2.92 GHz, three Cortex-A710 at 2.5 GHz, and four Cortex-A510 cores at 1.8 GHz.  

The chipset follows the same 1+3+4 core configuration as Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, but the major change is that the prime Cortex-X1 core is now replaced with a faster Cortex-X2. This makes the upcoming chipset to be the first mid-range option with the Cortex-X2 core. 

Cortex-X2 is a high-performance 64-bit-only core where ARM promises notable performance and architectural improvements as compared to Cortex-X1, but with a slightly higher peak power consumption. 

Also Read: Top 8 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 features that you should know about

The cores and frequencies are similar to what we had with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which also explains comparable scores in the Geekbench listing. The upcoming chipset is also rumoured to include Adreno 725 GPU clocked at 580 Hz. 

Details regarding the upcoming Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 mobile platform are still sparse and we will have to wait for the official unveiling. 

Also Read: 5 smartphone specifications that are actually misleading

Market positioning challenge

Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 series used to be really popular in India up to a few years back, but the market dynamics are quite different today. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 that launched last year didn’t get much traction. This is perhaps because manufacturers were more inclined to use current or last-gen Snapdragon 8 series SoCs including Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Snapdragon 870, and Snapdragon 888 for higher mid-range phones and the lower mid-range was mostly dominated by MediaTek and Snapdragon 6 series. 

It would be interesting to see how Qualcomm stacks the upcoming Snapdragon 7 series in its portfolio and make it a more lucrative proposition for OEMs.

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