Qualcomm Launches Eight Snapdragon S4 Chips

New additions to the S4 family, six of which include cellular baseband features.

Qualcomm has added eight SKUs, with models including the MSM8660A, MSM8260A, MSM8630, MSM8230, MSM8627, MSM8227 (all with modems) as well as the APQ8060A and APQ8030.

All new chips are based on the 28 nm, dual-core Krait processor with a clock speed ranging from 1.0 to 1.7 GHz, as well as Adreno 225 or 305 graphics units.

Qualcomm did not say which commercial products will integrate these processors, but noted that devices with these chips could be surfacing in early 2012, which could mean that Snapdragon S4 smartphones/tablets should be at CES in January. The company also announced four additional new processors (MSM7225A, MSM7625A, MSM7227A, MSM7627A) in its S1 family, which, however, are based on an older ARMv11 core and ARMv6 architecture. The current Krait core is based on heavily modified ARMv7 architecture. Qualcomm claims that its chips are more efficient than ARM's Cortex-A9 design.