US semiconductor giant Qualcomm has announced a new chipset targeted at entry-level smartphone. The Snapdragon 215 is a significant upgrade over the Snapdragon 212 as it now has a 64-bit CPU, a faster GPU and support for dual cameras.
The new chipset is built on the old 28nm node just like the SDM 212. The difference is in the cores. The new CPU features four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.3GHz, unlike the SD 212 chipset which had four Cortex-A7 cores. According to ARM, the Cortex-A53 cores are 50% faster than the four A7 cores inside the old chipset. Being 64-bit is the bigger upgrade, however, as it should massively improve compatibility with new versions of Android, considering that 32-bit Snapdragon 212-powered models like the Nokia 2 couldn’t make it past Android Oreo.
The new chipset also features the Adreno 308 GPU which is the same GPU on the Snapdragon 425 chipset. Qualcomm claims the GPU delivers a modest 28% boost over the Adreno 304 GPU on the SD212.
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In addition, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 215 comes with a dual ISP, the first Snapdragon 200-series model to have such. The dual ISP significantly improves camera support. The Snapdragon 215 can handle one 13MP camera or two 8MP modules, so phones can have a tele cam or a depth sensor. Further, the chipset also supports an upgraded 1080p video recording. The SD212 only supports a single 8MP sensor and 720p video recording.
However, the new processor supports a maximum display resolution of 720p. The aspect ratio isn’t restricted to 16:9 like the SD212 but also includes 19:9 aspect ratio support. There is also some improvement in connectivity with the inclusion of Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) and Bluetooth 4.2. NFC is also upgraded making the chipset to have support for Android Pay. Other improvements include; dual VoLTE and EVS Voice calls (“Ultra HD Voice Calls”), yet again the first 200-series model to have such.
On a negative note, the new chipset is listed to support only Quick Charge 1.0 which is a maximum 10W charging power whereas the SD 212 supports QC 2.0 (up to 18W). However, this tone down could be as a result of the several upgrades.
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