Qualcomm on Tuesday, 1 December, unveiled the Snapdragon 888 5G mobile platform as its next-generation flagship system-on-chip (SoC) for premium smartphones.
The launch happened at a virtual keynote held during the first day of the Snapdragon Tech Summit 2020.
The new chip, which is the successor to last year's Snapdragon 865 SoC and was speculated would be named the Snapdragon 875 SoC up until now, comes with a third-generation Qualcomm Snapdragon X60 5G modem that is touted to enable compatibility for both mmWave and sub-6 networks across all major bands worldwide, NDTV reported.
Xiaomi co-founder and CEO Lei Jun also confirmed during the keynote that its Mi 11 will be one of the first devices to come with the latest SoC.
Realme ‘Race' as well as Red Magic 6, Oppo Find X3, Nubia Z, and ZTE Axon 30 series are set to debut in the first quarter of 2021 with the newly launched Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC. The smartphone manufacturers announced their launch plans shortly after Qualcomm unveiled the latest Snapdragon chipset as its new flagship 5G mobile platform, NDTV reported.
Realme ‘Race’
Following the announcement of the Snapdragon 888 SoC at the Qualcomm Snapdragon Tech Summit 2020 on Tuesday, Realme announced its new flagship smartphone that is codenamed ‘Race'.
The smartphone is claimed to provide an enhanced gaming, video, and communication experience alongside an upgraded 5G connectivity. Realme Vice President and India CEO Madhav Sheth also suggested India launch plans for the Realme Race.
“We are proud to be among the first smartphone manufacturers to come equipped with the Snapdragon 888 chipset. With this milestone we reaffirm our commitment to bring more 5G devices in India in 2021,” he said according to NDTV’s report.
Red Magic 6
Specifically catering to mobile gamers, Nubia sub-brand Red Magic is planning to launch the Red Magic 6 series with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC. Launch details about the Red Magic 6 series were revealed by Nubia President Ni Fei on Weibo.
The new series is claimed to be the first gaming phone equipped with the Snapdragon 888 SoC. Moreover, it is likely to include an upgrade to the Red Magic 5G that debuted in March this year.
Oppo Find X3
Alongside the Realme ‘Race' and Red Magic 6, Oppo is also planning to jump on the bandwagon and launch its Snapdragon 888-powered flagship in the first quarter of 2021. The company said in a press statement that it was planning to launch the next Find X series as one of the first 5G smartphone series powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset.
According to NDTV’s report, “We are sure that the next Find X series will deliver an extraordinary all-round experience to users around the globe,” Oppo Vice President and President of Global Sales Alen Wu said.
Nubia Z
Nubia also announced on Weibo that it will launch its new Nubia Z series with the Snapdragon 888 SoC. The company already has a few models in its existing Nubia Z series. However, the new phones in the series are likely to leverage the faster performance of the next-generation Snapdragon chipset.
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