Gaming phones are a popular trend in mobile right now, with manufacturers like Xiaomi, ASUS, Razer, and ZTE all launching gaming-focused smartphones. Now Qualcomm is rolling out a new processor to help improve performance on gaming phones.
The Snapdragon 855 Plus is an upgraded version of Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 855 processor. It's got many of the same features as the standard SD855, including an octa-core Kryo 485 CPU, Adreno 640 GPU, and Snapdragon X24 LTE modem, but Qualcomm has made some small tweaks to squeeze some more performance out of the chip.
Qualcomm says that the Snapdragon 855+ has a max CPU clock speed of 2.96GHz, up from the Snapdragon 855's 2.84GHz top-end clock speed. The Snapdragon 855 Plus's Adreno 640 GPU also offers a 15 percent performance increase over the Snapdragon 855.
Other notable features of the Snapdragon 855 Plus include a fourth gen AI Engine that Qualcomm says will help provide ultra-responsive gaming and a Vulkan 1.1 Graphics Driver that's 20 percent more power efficient than Open GL ES. Qualcomm's included Snapdragon Elite Gaming Experience provides software enhancements like Game Jank Reducer and Game Fast Loader, too.
The Snapdragon 855 Plus boasts a Snapdragon X50 5G modem for 5G support, and Qualcomm's included Quick Charge 4+ will help you recharge your phone in a hurry.
Qualcomm says that devices with the Snapdragon 855 Plus chip will begin launching in the second half of 2019. Separately, ASUS has said that its ROG Phone II will be the first phone to include a Snapdragon 855 Plus, but it didn't share many other details about the device.
The Snapdragon 855 is no slouch, as we've seen on several gaming phones and other flagship Android devices released in recent months. Some gamers love to get as much power as they can, though, as evidenced by some gaming desktop PCs and consoles like the Xbox One X and PS4 Pro, and so the Snapdragon 855 Plus is meant to help people interested in a gaming phone get even more power for when they're playing games on the go.