On the other hand, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 435 has proved its mettle and offers commendable performance without being too heavy for your pocket. The same applies to the Snapdragon 430 SoC which is basically same as the SD 435 but with an inferior 4G modem. However, both the chipsets are still relevant despite being around for more than a year. Today, we have stacked up the Snapdragon 450 against Snapdragon 435 to see how much improvements Qualcomm was able to make in a span of one and a half years. Do note that even though we shall be speaking only about SD 435 in this article, most of the points are valid for the Snapdragon 430 as well. First, let’s go through the key specifications of the competing SoCs.
Snapdragon 435 Specs
Manufacturing Process: 28 nanometreArchitecture: 64-bitCPU: 8 x ARM Cortex-A53 Up to 1.4 GHzGPU: Adreno 505Cellular Modem: X9 LTE (Download: 300 Mbps, Upload: 150 Mbps)Display Support: Up to 1920 x 1200 @ 60fpsCamera: Up to 16 MP (8 MP + 8 MP) Dual Camera, 21 MP single cameraVideo Capture and Playback: Full HD (1080 x 1920) @ 30 fpsDSP (Digital Signal Processor): Qualcomm Hexagon 536Wi-Fi:11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz) Up to 433 MbpsBluetooth:1, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)RAM: LPDDR3 800 MHzStorage: SD 3.0 and eMMC 5.1Charging: Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
Snapdragon 450 Specs
Manufacturing Process: 14 nanometreArchitecture: 64-bitCPU: 8 x ARM Cortex-A53 Up to 1.8 GHzGPU: Adreno 506Cellular Modem: X9 LTE (Download: 300 Mbps, Upload: 150 Mbps)Display Support: Up to 1920 x 1200 @ 60fpsCamera: Up to 13 MP + 13 MP Dual Camera, 21 MP single cameraVideo Capture and Playback: Full HD (1080 x 1920) @ 60 fpsDSP (Digital Signal Processor): Qualcomm Hexagon 546Wi-Fi:11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 GHz + 5 GHz) Up to 433 MbpsBluetooth:1, BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)RAM: LPDDR3 933 MHzStorage: SD 3.0 and eMMC 5.1Charging: Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
As you see, the Snapdragon 450 and the Snapdragon 435 chipsets share several identical specs, but there are some notable differences. Let’s dive deeper.
Performance
According to Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 450 is about 25 percent more powerful than its predecessor. This is equally valid for both processing power and graphics performance. The CPU of the newer chipset is clocked at 1.8 GHz while it is 1.4 GHz for the Snapdragon 435. Coming to the GPU, the SD 450 features the Adreno 506 whereas the SD 435 sports the Adreno 505. Moreover, the latest SoC is made using the more efficient 14 nm process in comparison to the older 28 nm Snapdragon 435. This significantly ramps up the thermals of the SD 450 resulting in a much more consistent performance and lesser throttling. While both the contending chipsets support LPDDR3 RAM, the Snapdragon 450 can accommodate up to 933 MHz memory clock speed in contrast to 800 MHz of the older SoC. This would reduce the launch time of applications in the newer chip. The SD 435 maxes out at USB 2.0 and thus fares quite low in data transfer speeds.
Camera
Qualcomm has added some much-needed camera features to its latest chipset. The Snapdragon 450 is the first 400-series SoC to support live or real-time bokeh effects. Furthermore, the newer SoC can house 13 MP + 13 MP dual camera setup. This is a notable improvement over the 8 MP + 8 MP support of the Snapdragon 435. Qualcomm has also added support for 60 fps Full HD (1080 x 1920) video recording in its newest chip. Additionally, the Snapdragon 450 comes with an updated Hexagon 546 DSP. It brings with it enhanced multimedia performance, sensor processing, and camera.
Security
The newest chipset from Qualcomm aims to take retina scanning mainstream. Snapdragon 450 is possibly the only SoC in its category to support the eye-based authentication.
Battery
With its 14 nm manufacturing process, the Snapdragon 450 is about 30 percent more power efficient. For a typical 2750mAh battery, the newer chip lasts about four hours longer than the Snapdragon 435.
Wrapping It Up
So, what is the gist of the story? Well, it seems that Qualcomm has done a good job with the Snapdragon 450 Mobile Platform. Frankly, no Snapdragon 400-series chip can match up to the latest SoC. The SD 450 actually feels like a trimmed down variant of the Snapdragon 625. Qualcomm aims to start sending commercial samples of the Snapdragon 450 in the third quarter of this year. You may expect smartphones with the new chip to arrive by Q4 2017.
