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Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 636 makes Kryo more affordable

Qualcomm has unveiled its latest mid-range mobile platform, the Snapdragon 636, bringing Kryo 260 CPU power to a lower cost chipset.
By
October 16, 2017
The Qualcomm Snapdragon logo.

Today, Qualcomm has unveiled its latest mid-range mobile platform – the Snapdragon 636. The main billing with this product is the introduction of Qualcomm’s Kryo 260 CPU cores into the Snapdragon 63X range, bringing additional CPU power to a lower cost chipset.

The company states that the Kryo 260 CPU setup inside the Snapdragon 636 will deliver a 40 percent performance improvement over the Snapdragon 630’s 2.2 GHz octa-core Cortex-A53 CPU arrangement. Previously, if you wanted Kryo 260 CPU performance, OEMs had to stump up for the more expensive Snapdragon 660 platform. This change means that the 636 will also give users a little more CPU grunt than the 653 too, all at a lower price point. This shouldn’t be confused with the higher-end Kryo 280 though, which remains reserved for the top of the line Snapdragon 835.

Snapdragon 660Snapdragon 636Snapdragon 630
CPU
Snapdragon 660
4x Kryo 260 @ 2.2 GHz
4x Kryo 260 @ 1.8 GHz
Snapdragon 636
4x Kryo 260 @ 2.2 GHz
4x Kryo 260 @ 1.8 GHz
Snapdragon 630
4x Cortex-A53 @ 2.2 GHz
4x Cortex-A53 @ 1.8 GHz
GPU
Snapdragon 660
Adreno 512 (Vulkan API)
Snapdragon 636
Adreno 509
Snapdragon 630
Adreno 508 (Vulkan API)
Co-processors
Snapdragon 660
Hexagon 642 + HVX, All-Ways Aware, Spectra 160
Snapdragon 636
Hexagon, All-Ways Aware, Spectra 160
Snapdragon 630
Hexagon, All-Ways Aware, Spectra 160
LTE
Snapdragon 660
X12 LTE
600 Mbps down,
150 Mbps up,
3x20MHz CA, up to 256-QAM
Snapdragon 636
X12 LTE
600 Mbps down,
150 Mbps up,
3x20MHz CA, up to 256-QAM
Snapdragon 630
X12 LTE
600 Mbps down,
150 Mbps up,
3x20MHz CA, up to 256-QAM
Process
Snapdragon 660
14 nm
Snapdragon 636
14 nm
Snapdragon 630
14 nm

In addition to the CPU changes, Qualcomm has also bumped up the GPU performance a tad with the introduction of an Adreno 509, up from the 508. This GPU provides about a 10 percent performance boost, however the Snapdragon 660 retains a performance advantage that gamers may be after.

As for the extras, you’ll find a Snapdragon X12 LTE modem for 600 Mbps down and 150 Mbps upload speeds. There’s the same 14-bit Spectra 160 ISP with support for up to 24 megapixel cameras, smooth zoom, and fast auto-focusing. The platform also comes with Qualcomm’s Aqustic audio codec, which supports 24-bit, 192 kHz audio playback.

The Snapdragon 636 is pin compatible with the 660 and 630, meaning quick incoporation for OEMs looking to make use of Qualcomm’s latest mid-range mobile platform when it becomes available in November 2017.