The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and other recently unveiled processors mean big things for the future of mobile photography. We break down what’s new.
When people think of a digital camera, whether on its own or integrated into a smartphone, they generally focus on the lens and the sensor. They ask how many megapixels it has, how sharp is the lens, or how high can its lowlight sensitivity go. What many people neglect to take into serious consideration is the processor, which is a bit like evaluating your eyes while discounting your brain. The new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Mobile Platform is the new “brain” that’s going to power many next-gen smartphone cameras, and it’s worth taking a closer look at what that means for photography. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Mobile Platform introduces a suite of camera features that Qualcomm is calling “Snapdragon Sight Technology”, and many of its most impressive capabilities are enabled by its 18-bit Image Signal Processor (ISP), which delivers speeds of up to 3.2 gigapixels per second from up to three different cameras simultaneously. It can capture 8K High Dynamic Range (HDR) video, and record over a billion shades of color. This new ISP means big things in terms of lowlight capability as well. Beyond the physical limitations of your camera’s sensor and the lens, it’s the processor that determines how well the camera handles lowlight situations. The Snapdragon 8 chipset overcomes limitations in dark situations by capturing 30 images in the span of a second and then combining them together to create a clean and attractive final image in dimly lit situations. This is known as Multi-frame Noise Reduction, or MFNR, and less advanced versions of it have been an increasingly common feature of cameras for years now. Qualcomm isn’t the only name in the game delivering new capabilities to smartphones. Media Tech recently announced its new Dimensity 9000 processor, which surpasses the Snapdragon 8 in some regards (you can also take a look at our direct comparison with the previous-gen Snapdragon 888). Most significantly, it supports cameras with resolutions up to a staggering 320MP and is the first processor to be able to support up to three cameras simultaneously recording 18-bit HDR video.
