The user’s attention is mainly focused on a more powerful chipset, this time on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro. However, new details reveal important information about the standard model as well. The “regular” Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 will share one key similarity with the previous generation of the chip – the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
Manufacturers Android phone and in addition they have to prepare for high hardware prices. The latest information confirms that the size of the chip will remain unchanged. The standard version will occupy an area of exactly 126,2 mm².
Same case size, but without advanced plugins
Qualcomm wants to reduce manufacturing costs by using an existing design. Unfortunately, this means that the new chip has no room for additional hardware expansion. There will be no room for a larger cache memory or a more advanced graphics processor.
QualcommThe more powerful model labeled Pro will therefore be significantly superior in the phone market. It brings the largest L2 cache memory so far for lower energy consumption, and the graphics bus on the Pro model will be 50% wider compared to the standard chip.
Advanced 2 nm technology dictates a high price
Savings on package size will not prevent a significant increase in the price of a new piece of hardware, however. The main culprit for the high price is the transition to advanced 2nm technology of TSMC. Manufacturing on these state-of-the-art silicon wafers is still extremely expensive.
The leaks indicate the use of the first generation of TSMC’s N2 manufacturing process for the standard chip. On the other hand, the Pro model could get a slightly more advanced N2P process. In this way, Qualcomm wants to achieve a clear hardware advantage over Apple.
Qualcomm’s business is currently under pressure due to unfavorable situations with memory prices. So a competitive price for a standard Gen 6 chip would be a great step forward. This would help the faster recovery of their main source of income in the market, says WCCFTech.