Qualcomm's Snapdragon 732G Promises Graphics Bump For Midrange Android

Qualcomm has a new gaming chipset for smartphones, with the Snapdragon 732G aiming to deliver an uptick in graphics performance in more affordable handsets. Compared to the Snapdragon 730G, Qualcomm says that the Adreno 618 GPU in the new Snapdragon 732G should deliver a 15-percent improvement in graphics rendering.

It's obviously not going to hold up to the Adreno GPU in the latest Snapdragon 865+ series, but then again it won't be as expensive as that chipset either. Instead Qualcomm is targeting higher-tier midrange phones, with POCO already saying that it has earmarked the Snapdragon 732G for a new handset in the pipeline.

The other big change versus the Snapdragon 730G is the processor. Qualcomm is still using the Kryo 470 CPU, but it has nudged up the prime core clock speed a little: 2.3 GHz, rather than 2.2 GHz. Not a huge improvement, true, but potentially a welcome one along with the GPU change.

It'll support some of the Snapdragon Elite Gaming systems, along with HDR10, 4K HDR10 PQ and HLG Video Playback, and up to a QHD+ phone display. Connectivity will be courtesy of the Snapdragon X15 LTE Modem as standard, with up to Cat 15 800 Mbps downloads supported, and up to Cat 13 150 Mbps uploads. There'll also be WiFi 6 802.11ax and Bluetooth 5.1. Oddly, given Qualcomm's current obsession with 5G, there's no mention of it around the Snapdragon 732G.

Still, for most people, it'll arguably be convenience features like fast charging that are more useful. The chipset supports Quick Charge 4+ along with DisplayPort over USB Type-C, and will be able to drive up to an Ultra HD external display that way. There's aptX Adaptive audio support too, and the company's Voice Assistant Accelerator on a low-power audio subsystem, that allow for always-listening wake word support with echo cancelation and noise suppression. Qualcomm's system can support two wake words simultaneously, too.