Upgrades its predecessor 765G with overclocks
Gaming phones have become popular over the last few years and have almost carved a dedicated market for themselves. These devices feature RGB lighting, new thermal technologies, air triggers, and high refresh rate screens along much more. SoC makers are pulling up their socks to match the demand of this market and are developing gaming-centric technologies. The newly launched Snapdragon 768G is the right example.
It’s not new for Qualcomm to release overclocked versions of its SoC’s. The Snapdragon 855+ and the custom-overclocked 845 for the ROG Phone were notable examples. The 768G is an overclocked 765G, which was, in fact, an overclocked 765! These specialized versions usually tend to give higher frame rates in games and eSports titles. We saw the arrival of Snapdragon 765/765G back in November 2019 and there are very few phones that ever shipped with the chipset. This chipset is realistically an overclocked version of the 765G 5G. Qualcomm says the new chip will “deliver immersive gaming experiences and truly global 5G”.
What does the Snapdragon 768G bring to the table?
The Snapdragon 768G improves upon previous variants by boosting up the clock speed of various components in the chip. It has boosted the Prime Core from 2.4Ghz to 2.8Ghz and the Adreno 620 GPU by 15%. This is a similar gain in GPU performance which was seen from 765 to 765G. It also features an integrated modem(X52), 5th gen AI engine, and Elite Gaming features. It is the first budget chip to support updateable GPU drivers, which will be a delight to gamers.
The Snapdragon X52 modem supports both mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G along with offering compatibility with standard non-5G networks. The 768G is mainly targeted towards devices that offer improved gaming experiences over previous generations. The Xiaomi Redmi K30 5G Racing Edition will be the first smartphone to use this new chip, packing in a 120Hz display, and 64MP quad-camera setup.
We’re going to see more devices utilizing this chip in the future and it currently sits atop Qualcomm’s mid-range product line. It will offer better battery life and price to performance ratio v/s the Snapdragon 865 and should attract a large market. For people owning the 730G or the 720, this won’t be the upgrade you should consider, as the perceivable difference will hardly be distinguishable unless an extra 10FPS matters to you. The 5G tax would not return value either until 2022 in India.
