Dual-cameras and Bokeh camera effects are currently the reserve of flagship handsets, but with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 450 chipset you can expect to see a number of mid-range Android phones boasting some fancy features soon.
The headline features of the new chip revolve around the camera, with support for dual cameras (up to 13MP + 13MP) and single snappers (up to 21MP) – plus real-time Bokeh effect.
Bokeh is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image, such as the results you get from Portrait mode on the iPhone 7 Plus.
Another advanced feature the Snapdragon 450 chip unlocks for lower tier devices is retina scanning, like you get in the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus, giving you a new biometric method of securing your smartphone or tablet.
Better batteries, more power
Qualcomm is also claiming its new chip can deliver up to four hours of additional battery life thanks to the new smaller, 14nm, architecture – plus the firm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology is also supported taking you from 0% to around 80% in 35 minutes.
The speed of the operating system should also witness a boost, with app load times improving between 10% and 20% over the previous generation chip. It’s claimed that graphics render up to 25% faster while using up to 30% less power as well.
It's worth noting that a lot of these features are best-case scenarios, and it’s highly unlikely a manufacturer would use them all in a single device. What’s more likely is a mobile maker will pick and choose a few new features from the Snapdragon 450 to implement into devices in an attempt to keep costs down.
The first handsets packing the Snapdragon 450 chipset are expected to arrive before the end of the year.
- Top camera phones: iPhone 7 Plus | Samsung Galaxy S8 | HTC U 11 | Google Pixel
