Qualcomm promises better AI for its next Snapdragon PC chip - Engadget

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Amon pointed out the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2’s image signal processor (ISP) as a means to help webcams deliver better quality. The Spectra ISP here will support sensors up to 32-megapixels sharp, as well as up to 4K HDR recording. It will also enable HDR streaming and playback. Like the previous generation, the new 8cx can output to two 4K monitors, but this time around it supports 4K at a higher 60 fps framerate via a single cable. Qualcomm also uses its Aqstic echo-cancellation and noise suppresion tech here to make your voice sound clearer on calls amid noisy surroundings.

The 8cx Gen 2’s AI engine will also enable faster processing of things like an “eye contact” feature that was also available (albeit experimentally) on the Surface Pro X with the earlier chipset. With this, when your computer can tell you’re not looking at your webcam during a video conference, it will prompt you to make faux eye contact instead of staring at your screen. Qualcomm also announced features like a Loom.AI-powered avatar that can replace you in a call and match your facial expressions in real time, just in case you were all Zoomed out and wanted a digital character in your place.

Qualcomm

As for one of the greatest draws of a Snapdragon PC — connectivity — like the first-generation 8cx, this chipset is compatible with 5G but won’t actually have an integrated radio for it. To support 5G, laptop makers will also have to add the Snapdragon X55 modem in their products, or an X20 if they only want to enable LTE. Qualcomm said that while the X55 doesn’t come standard, it expects most 8cx Gen 2 machines will have 5G.

Microsoft commits to taking responsibility for app compatibility

One of the biggest challenges plaguing the Windows on Snapdragon platform is app compatibility. While Microsoft has made improvements on enabling 64-bit app support for ARM and a native emulator for 32-bit apps, there still isn’t widespread compatibility for the mobile-friendly platform. Microsoft’s chief product officer Panos Panay joined Amon in Qualcomm’s video to tease some information coming about its App Assure program for Windows on ARM. “We’re now moving the App Assure program to all our customers using Snapdragon,” Panay said.

Desktop App Assure was launched in 2018 to help developers make their Windows 7 apps compatible with Windows 10. It allowed people who come across app compatibility issues to work with Microsoft engineers until their problems are resolved. With support for Windows 7 having ended in 2020, it was crucial to enable a smooth shift to Windows 10. Panay said the Snapdragon offering of App Assure would similarly have Microsoft engineers engage with developers at no cost and get those apps to work across all of Windows. He didn’t have many more details to share, saying more information was coming “in a couple of weeks,” but he did explain that Microsoft was “putting a lot of energy into this. There's a lot of momentum.”

While the actual performance promises of the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2 don’t seem like a great leap forward, Microsoft’s update certainly injects some hope. We’ll have to wait till the Acer and HP laptops are available before we can determine if Snapdragon PCs will finally be reliable machines or if they’ll continue to disappoint.

September 03, 2020 at 02:43PM
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Qualcomm promises better AI for its next Snapdragon PC chip - Engadget

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