You may not have heard of Qualcomm, but if you've used any major piece of tech over the last few years, then you've used one of their products. Basically, if one device has something inside it that will let it talk to another device, chances are it's got a Qualcomm processor.
At CES 2016, Qualcomm CEO Steven Mollenkopf took the stage to address the future of both the company and wireless communications - both of which center around the Snapdragon 820 processor. As an updated version of the 810, it'd be easy to assume that this latest model would only boast a few minor improvements, but that's really not the case: if Qualcomm's new processor can do everything they promise it can, the Snapdragon 820 could be the new industry benchmark.
So, what exactly does the Snapdragon 820 do? Quite a bit, actually: depending on the device it's installed in, the Snapdragon can help boost wireless communication speed, beef up processing power, or both.
One of the first devices to use the latest Snapdragon model will be the LeTV Le Max Pro smartphone. While Mollenkopf didn't reveal too much about the phone, he did detail one of the benefits that the Snapdragon provides: with the extra power that the processor provides, the Le Max Pro will be able to utilize an ultrasonic fingerprint detector.
It may not sound like much, but an ultrasonic detector means that you can place the sensor anywhere - instead of relying on an imprecise, unreliable glass sensor, the detector can be placed behind metal (which is exactly what the Le Max Pro does). Mollenkopf also claims that it's far more reliable than other sensors on the market today - and that the version included in the Le Max Pro is just the beginning.
From there, Mollenkopf moved into the automotive space, and announced a new partnership with Audi. While the selection will be limited to certain models at first, the new Snapdragon 602A processor will be included as a part of Audi's 2016 A5 lineup. Basically, any car with the Snapdragon processor will not only be able to connect to WiFi more quickly and reliably - but that's just the beginning.
The 602A isn't the only Snapdragon processor headed to your car - Mollenkopf also revealed a specialized version of the 820. The list of features that the 820 can handle is ridiculous: the processor can handle multiple HD displays, GPS and GLONASS tracking, as well as traffic sign and lane tracking in real time. Not only that, but the Snapdragon 820 can handle multiple apps across multiple screens - during the onstage demo, the 820 was able to seamlessly move a GPS navigation app to the dashboard display while maintaining a separate, secondary navigation app on an entirely different screen.
Finally, the automotive Snapdragon 820 can handle entertainment duties as well, including displaying multiple HD streaming services to multiple separate HD displays. While it's a bit impractical to have a car with six different screen in it, the demonstration was impressive nonetheless.
The rest of the conference was dedicated to using the Snapdragon 820 as a means of mass connectivity: not only can the processor be used to keep all of a household's devices connected to one another, but it's entirely possible for entire cities and infrastructures to move to Qualcomm's latest chipset. The Snapdragon is also built with longevity in mind, as Mollenkopf promised the processors could be used for upwards of ten years at a time. Of course, the Snapdragon can also be used on a much smaller scale, including wearables and modern health monitors.
Mollenkopf also briefly mentioned Qualcomm's drone flight system, Snapdragon Flight. While the presentation was short, Mollenkopf confirmed that one of the first drones to use Snapdragon Flight, the Tencent YING, which specializes in 4K video capture and sharing. That's right: not only can you use the drone to capture video, but the Snapdragon processor will allow you to share the clip from the drone itself.
Yes, it may sound like a heaping helping of technical mumbo-jumbo, but the Snapdragon 820 line could be a huge deal - if you're the kind of person who wants each and every single one of your devices to talk to each other, then you'll want to keep an eye on the Snapdragon.
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