Two months after Qualcomm Technologies Inc. unveiled the next iteration of its flagship Snapdragon system-on-chip, the official specifications have been released, promising better battery life and virtual-reality experiences.

The Snapdragon 835 is described as a processing powerhouse packing 3 billion transistors made using Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.’s 10-nanometer fabrication technology. It’s comprised of a Kryo 280 central processing unit, an Adreno 540 graphics processing unit, a digital signal processor and an image module for managing mobile cameras. Qualcomm has managed to fit these components on a die that is 35 percent smaller than the previous 14-nanometer Snapdragon 820 model, which powers popular handsets such as the Galaxy S7.

Even more important, the improved transistor density enables better performance. Qualcomm said the 835 can render 3D graphics up to 25 percent faster than its predecessor thanks to the Adreno GPU. On the media capture front, meanwhile, new firmware added alongside the GPU makes taking photos smoother as well, by allowing faster switching between the image processor and other modules.

The new chip can perform such tasks while consuming up to 25 percent less power than the previous model. Francisco Cheng, a marketing director with the chip maker, said a handset running on the chip will be able to support up to a day of talk time or seven hours of video streaming on a single charge.

The mobile device industry is one of several markets where Qualcomm hopes to sell the chip. Another major focus area for the company is augmented and virtual reality, which it’s targeting with a number of niche features specifically geared towards supporting so-called immersive experiences. Among others, the processor touts 20 percent less motion tracking latency than its predecessor and can natively process 3D positional audio.

Qualcomm is demonstrating the Snapdragon 835 at the Customer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where rival Intel Corp. Tuesday unveiled its latest-generation Kaby Lake processors. The chip giant is also showing off a homegrown 5G model that is touted as a “milestone” for wireless connectivity.

Image via Pixabay