Qualcomm's biggest release of the year is always its flagship chipsets, but arguably the most important release is its range of mid-range chips. Most people aren't buying flagship phones, but they want a device that will still last a number of years and be reasonably powerful for most of what they want to do. That's why the Snapdragon 7 series exists, and the company has just announced the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2.

First and foremost, to allay any confusion, the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 is the first second-generation Snapdragon 7 series chipset; in other words, there wasn't a "base" Snapdragon 7 Gen 2. Qualcomm tells me this is because it's changing how it names its chipsets: the '+' symbol no longer represents a minor improvement over a previous chipset, but rather, it "represents platforms that sit at the top of their tier/series." The company also made sure to note that while it can't comment on if there would be a base 7 Gen 2 or not, in this scenario, there can be one.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2: Specifications

Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 (sm7475)

CPU

  • 1x Kryo (Arm Cortex X2-based) Prime core @ 2.91GHz
  • 3x Kryo (Arm Cortex A710-based) Performance cores @ 2.49GHz
  • 4x Kryo (Arm Cortex A510-based) Efficiency cores @ 1.8GHz
  • ARM Cortex v9

GPU

  • Adreno GPU
  • Vulkan 1.1
  • Select Snapdragon Elite Gaming features
  • Adreno Frame Motion Engine
  • Video playback: H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC), VP8, VP9, 4K HDR10, HLG, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, AV1

Display

  • Maximum On-Device Display Support: 4K @ 60Hz/QHD+ @ 120Hz
  • Maximum External Display Support: 4K @ 60Hz
    • 10-bit color
    • HDR10, HDR10+

AI

  • Hexagon DSP with Hexagon Vector eXtensions, Hexagon Tensor Accelerator, Hexagon Scalar Accelerator, Hexagon Direct Link
  • AI Engine
  • Qualcomm Sensing Hub
    • Dual AI processors for audio and sensors
    • Always-sensing camera

Memory

LPDDR5 @ 3200 MHz

ISP

  • Triple 18-bit Spectra ISP
  • Up to 200MP photo capture
    • Up to 32 MP triple camera @ 30 FPS with Zero Shutter Lag
    • Up to 64+36 MP dual camera @ 30 FPS with Zero Shutter Lag
    • Up to 108 MP single camera @ 30 FPS with Zero Shutter Lag
    • Up to 200 MP Photo Capture

Modem

  • Snapdragon X62 5G Modem

Charging

Qualcomm Quick Charge 5

Connectivity

  • Location: Beidou, Galileo, GLONASS, GPS, QZSS, Dual Frequency GNSS support
  • Wi-Fi: Qualcomm FastConnect 6900; Wi-Fi 6E, Wi-Fi 6; 2.4/5GHz/6GHz
  • Bands; 20/40/80/160 MHz Channels; DBS (2x2 + 2x2), TWT, WPA3, 8×8 MU-MIMO
  • Bluetooth: Version 5.3, aptX Voice, aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, and LE audio

Manufacturing Process

4nm TSMC

The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 packs specifications that seem to poise it as a bit of a downgrade from last year's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, but on TSMC's fabrication process. It has the same core layout but at a lower clock frequency, though the company didn't share many details about the GPU. It's just an "Adreno" GPU, which doesn't tell us a whole lot of where it sits in the wider Snapdragon portfolio. All Qualcomm says is that it "boasts up to 2x improved performance", presumably when compared to the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1.

Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 Qualcomm Reference Design -1

Other noteworthy improvements include Qualcomm's Spectra Triple 18-bit image signal processor (ISP), the Snapdragon X62 5G modem-RF system, a dedicated Trust Management Engine, Android Ready SE for digital car keys and IDs, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3 support. Most of these features were also in the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, and there's no Wi-Fi 7 support or a newer 5G modem.

Qualcomm says commercial devices based on the new Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 platform from OEMs like Redmi and Realme will devices using this chipset expected to arrive this month.