Details for the highly anticipated SnapDragon S4 processor were unveiled at this year’s Mobile World Congress event — the premier international conference on emerging mobile communications technology — held in Barcelona, Spain. Many are already speculating what this means for the future of mobile devices in general. The new SnapDragon processor is expected to be a real game-changer, particularly in the areas of camera, audio and graphics processing capabilities.
More About the SnapDragon S4 Processor
Qualcomm has made a name for itself as a premier developer and manufacturer of high-end mobile system on chip processors. The new S4 chip is the newest in the SnapDragon family and was built around the reality that most smartphone and tablet PC users are pushing their devices to the limit by shooting HD video, recording audio and streaming massive amounts of HD video and audio content. The problem is that many current mobile processors cannot handle this amount of processing power. This doesn’t even include the many applications running in the background. Many anticipate the SnapDragon S4 chip to be an answer to this problem and it’s easy to see why.
Key Features

• HDR Imaging — One key component of the new processor chip is its Image Signal Processor (ISP) capabilities. Specifically, the S4 will allow mobile devices to shoot up to 20 megapixel photos, and up to 1080p HD video without missing a breath. The processor also captures stereoscopic 3D content and high dynamic range (HDR) photography with ease.
• The Ardeno GPU — With the new S4 chip, mobile gamers will experience a whole new level of 3D with the new 3D GPU. But the GPU doesn’t just offer quality video for gamers, this means sharper 3D images and video, and without glasses when you watch your favorite movies and TV shows. This is made possible through the processor’s QuadCore technology, which gives it processing speeds upwards of 1.5 GHz per core.
• 5.1 Surround Sound — While quality audio isn’t at the forefront of consumers’ minds when they shop for a new smartphone or tablet PC, it should be a determining factor when buying a new device. SnapDragon devices have always been designed with the entire multimedia experience in mind. That’s why 5.1 digital surround-sound is easily implemented into the new S4 processor.

What This Means for Mobile Devices
Over the next several months you are likely to see more and more smartphones and tablet PCs carrying they SnapDragon processor. With a processor like this, the bar for mobile device processing will have been raised tremendously. Smartphone and tablet PC hardware developers all over the world will have to step up their game to stay competitive in the mobile processing game. As history reflects, this will only push for more innovation in mobile computing.
Conclusion: Faster is Always Better
At the end of the day, whoever rules the mobile processing industry will have the fastest hardware. Faster is always better, and that customers will pay the big bucks for a powerful enough processing chip. Keep a look out for the SnapDragon S4 chip in the latest release of your favorite tablet.