Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064) MDP benchmarks blow away the competition (update: video)
As mentioned earlier, we've just gotten our hands on Qualcomm's latest development platform to see how its first quad core chipset fares. And boy, that APQ8064 really doesn't disappoint …
Context & Ripple Effects
Qualcomm had already positioned Windows 8 as a route beyond smartphones, including ultrathin quad-core ARM laptops and LTE-enabled Windows 8 tablets. The APQ8064 development platform gives that expansion case a visible performance reference point rather than a product announcement alone.
The result also lands after Qualcomm warned that third-party factory constraints could limit supply of some Snapdragon processors. Strong benchmark attention broadens demand interest, while making execution on component availability more consequential.
First-order effects
- Qualcomm gains a public performance proof point for its first quad-core APQ8064, strengthening its pitch to handset and tablet makers evaluating high-end Snapdragon designs.
- Device makers considering Qualcomm-powered Windows 8 tablets or ultrathin ARM laptops have a benchmarked reference platform to weigh against competing silicon.
Second-order effects
- Competing mobile-chip vendors face greater pressure to answer Qualcomm's high-end performance showing with comparable benchmarks and design wins.
- Qualcomm's previously disclosed processor supply constraints become more commercially important if OEM interest in APQ8064-class designs rises faster than available capacity.
Third-order effects
- If high-end mobile performance becomes a primary selling point for tablets and ARM-based PCs, chip competition will increasingly be decided by the combination of benchmark leadership, OEM adoption and supply reliability rather than modem connectivity alone.
The trend: Mobile silicon vendors are using multicore performance gains to extend their platforms from smartphones into tablets and thinner personal-computing devices.