Qualcomm unveils smart smartphone chip as industry tilts toward smartphones (Video)

The smartphone industry is betting on artificial intelligence to re-accelerate device sales after years of slowing growth. But to do that, it will need to give consumers a reason to buy new phones more often.

Qualcomm ( QCOM ) is aiming for its latest smartphone chips to do just that, adding a host of new built-in AI capabilities that it says will let you do things like virtually adjust the lighting on your your video calls in real time and allow your device to recognize objects in the real world without having to access the web.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite is Qualcomm’s latest top-of-the-line mobile processor and features improved performance and power efficiency thanks to the company’s use of what it calls Prime Cores, which are designed for high-end applications, and Performance Cores, for more casual tasks.

Qualcomm says the chips will arrive in smartphones from companies like Samsung, Xiaomi, ASUS, OnePlus, Honor, Oppo and more in the coming weeks.

The chipmaker promises big performance gains for the Snapdragon 8 Elite, saying its central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) should save 44% and 40% more power than its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen. 3, which Samsung used in its Galaxy S24 line of smartphones.

But the chip’s most important feature is its ability to power onboard AI functions. Qualcomm says the chip will enable things like removing unwanted objects from videos, rather than just photos, without having to upload the film to the cloud for processing. Instead, your phone will be able to simply remove that person who walked into the background of your photo.

The company also says that OEM partners can use the NPU to expand photos beyond their borders, for example by increasing the background of a photo and using the camera to interact with the world around you. For example, you’ll be able to point your phone at an object and ask the built-in voice assistant about the objects in the photo without needing to connect to the web.

Qualcomm unveiled its first-generation Snapdragon X Elite in late 2023, and Microsoft ( MSFT ) finally chose the processors for its line of laptops and Surface processors, debuting the new computers in May of this year.

Onboard AI is the main common denominator between the two generations of chips. Qualcomm is working to make sure users don’t need an Internet connection to use generative AI apps and services, which could be a big differentiator for new smartphones and PCs from their predecessors.

Both the PC and smartphone industries believe that AI will be the next big feature in getting consumers to upgrade their devices to newer systems in the coming months and years. Still, equipping devices with the ability to run AI apps won’t make the vast majority of customers interested in spending a few hundred dollars on a new laptop or smartphone. The only thing that will do this are intriguing new apps that take advantage of AI.

Sure, smarter digital assistants are useful, and improved photo and video capabilities are impressive, but there’s still no single app or category of apps that has people talking about wanting a AI. My friends and family are certainly interested in the marketing around AI products, but none of them, outside of a few early adopters and people who need the latest and greatest devices, are interested yet to pay for AI.

That said, it’s still early in the consumer AI lifecycle, which means there’s plenty of time for a fancy new app to take advantage of AI. And when it does, we’ll finally get a sense of the appetite for AI-powered hardware.

Email Daniel Howley at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @DanielHowley.

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