The rise of mobile computing powerhouses such as smartphones and tablets have provided a way for manufacturers to capitalize on other new technologies such as augmented reality (AR), mixed reality (MR), and virtual reality (VR), to name a few. With that in mind, Qualcomm – known mostly for its impressive line of mobile chipsets – recently announced its new Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 Platform, a chip architecture that supports 4.3K spatial computing.
Qualcomm says that the XR2+ can render visuals at 90 fps, allowing users to experience immersive virtual clarity for productivity and entertainment purposes. Given that Qualcomm recently announced the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2, the “plus” in this new version represents improvements across experiences in MR and VR with a higher GPU frequency of up to 15%, as well as CPU frequency by up to 20%.
For casual consumers as well as enthusiasts, this means that smart glasses tech is one step closer to the more “ideal” future that a lot of people have envisioned in mind. While wearable products with support for VR and AR do exist at the moment (albeit to extent), Qualcomm hopes that this continued development yields more useful and practical products in the near future. Commenting on the XR2+ Gen 2, Hugo Swart, Vice President and General Manager of XR at Qualcomm states:
“Snapdragon XR2+ Gen 2 unlocks 4.3K resolution which will take XR productivity and entertainment to the next level by bringing spectacularly clear visuals to use cases such as room-scale screens, life-size overlays and virtual desktops… We are advancing our commitment to power the best XR devices and experiences that will supercharge our immersive future.”
With that being said, Qualcomm has also partnered with several other manufacturers such as Samsung to bring the XR2+ Gen 2 to users worldwide. Inkang Song, Vice President and Head of Technology Strategy Team at Samsung adds:
“Samsung is thrilled to collaborate with Qualcomm Technologies and Google in revolutionizing the mobile industry once more… With Samsung’s mobile expertise and our joint commitment, we aim to create the best-in-class XR experience for Galaxy users.”
As with the more recent Snapdragon hardware releases, the XR2+ Gen 2 also supports on-device AI, and is compatible with 12 or more concurrent cameras in order to provide more accurate motion tracking for users, as well as environmental tracking and navigation. Qualcomm has also worked with Google on the XR2+ Gen 2, with Google’s VP for AR Shahram Izadi commenting on the company’s excitement towards continued collaboration with Qualcomm and Samsung on XR hardware.
