Qualcomm has decided to update its flagship mobile processor for 2019, now called the Snapdragon 855+, to handle even more process-intensive tasks. You know, like gaming, VR, AI and 5G. No, we’re not just throwing tech-jargon at you — making chips capable of handling these tasks will future-proof the processor, even more, as we enter the Ready Player One era.

A new kind of Dragon

This is especially good news for Android users who crave raw performance. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855+ ‘Elite Gaming’ chip squeeze extra performance out of the 855’s design. The eight-core Kryo 485 CPU now runs at up to 2.96GHz instead of the earlier 2.84GHz, and the Adreno 640 graphics should deliver a 15 percent speed boost, according to the chipmaker.

Okay, okay… We know it doesn’t sound like much. But Qualcomm is pretty certain that these siliconbois will be ideal for gaming, where GPU performance is more important than raw number-crunching. It’ll also help with performance when it comes to AR and VR applications, AI and anything else that’s particularly demanding.

The Snapdragon 855+ also makes use of multi-gigabit 4G connectivity to ensure full 5G-capability. We can expect to see a plethora of next-gen flagships supporting 5G as it becomes the new standard in connectivity. That was coming anyway… Qualcomm’s just offering the feature early.

At this stage, only one phone-maker has confirmed it will feature the Snapdragon 855+, and that’s Asus. Asus has confirmed its upcoming ROG Phone II will sport the chip. We will likely see most of the 2020 flagships fitted with this one, unless Qualcomm pulls a sneaky on us and also releases a Snapdragon 865 in time for 2020.

Source: Qualcomm