Smartphone makers including iQoo, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, and Xiaomi are set to bring their models based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC will debut on commercial devices in the first quarter of 2021
Photo Credit: Qualcomm
Qualcomm has launched the Snapdragon 870 mobile platform over a month after bringing the Snapdragon 888 as its latest flagship system-on-chip (SoC). The new chipset comes as a slightly tweaked version of the Snapdragon 865+ that debuted last year. It is also the first one in the series to offer a processing core with a clock speed of up to 3.2GHz. The Snapdragon 870 SoC includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gaming technology to assist mobile gamers. There is also the fifth-generation Qualcomm AI Engine to enable on-device artificial intelligence (AI) experiences.
Smartphone makers including iQoo, Motorola, OnePlus, Oppo, and Xiaomi are set to bring their phones based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC. These devices are expected to debut in the first quarter of 2021.
Just like the Snapdragon 865+ that was launched in July last year, the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 is based on 7nm process technology and comes with Kryo 385 CPU, which has a tri-cluster architecture. This brings a prime core of Cortex-A77 at the clock speed of 3.2GHz, along with three cores of Cortex-A77 at 2.4GHz and four remaining cores of Cortex-A55 at 1.8GHz. The chipset also includes Adreno 650 GPU, paired with the Snapdragon Elite Gaming technology and includes support for updatable GPU drivers. There is also a Hexagon 698 processor along with the fifth-generation Qualcomm AI Engine and Hexagon Tensor Accelerator to deliver up to 15 tera operations per second (TOPS). Qualcomm has also included its Sensing Hub to provide always-on contextual awareness.
The Snapdragon 870 SoC carries the Qualcomm Spectra 480 image signal processor that brings up to 200-megapixel photo capture support. The ISP also supports a 25-megapixel dual camera setup or up to 64-megapixel single camera. It also includes support for up to 8K video recording at 30fps frame rate.
Qualcomm has provided FastConnect 6800 system on the Snapdragon 870 that brings Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth v5.2 connectivity along with Qualcomm aptX Adaptive audio support. The chipset also supports external Snapdragon X55 5G Modem-RF system for 5G access. This is unlike the Snapdragon 888 that has an integrated Snapdragon X60 5G modem.
The Snapdragon 870 SoC supports up to 4K display at 60Hz refresh rate or QHD+ at 144Hz. The chipset also includes support for up to LPDDR5 memory at up to 2750MHz frequency. Vendors can also go for an LPDDR4x memory at up to 2133MHz. The total memory capacity with the new chipset can be of up to 16GB.
Unlike the Snapdragon 888 that carries Quick Charge 5 support, the Snapdragon 870 has Quick Charge 4+ technology. This is identical to the Snapdragon 865 and Snapdragon 865+. The fast charging technology is paired with Qualcomm Quick Charge AI.
“Building upon the success of Snapdragon 865 and 865 Plus, the new Snapdragon 870 was designed to address OEM and mobile industry requirements,” said Kedar Kondap, Vice President, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies, in a prepared statement.
What will be the most exciting tech launch of 2021? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.
Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2026 hub.