Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC Will Offer Better Video Streaming Capabilities

Unlike the computer CPU, a smartphone SoC has to do a lot of things, from the ability to shoot and process up to 8K videos to editing them on the go. While not all the chips are made equal, some brands tend to include some of the trending features or capabilities on their SoCs.

Considering the popularity and adaption rate of these features, brands tend to offer the same with their future generation products, and here is one such feature. AV1 codec, which has been adopted by platforms like Netflix and YouTube is currently not supported on Qualcomm and Apple chips.

Exynos is currently the only major chip maker which has been launching processors with support for AV1 hardware codec for the last two years including the newly launched Exynos 2200. Do note that, brands like MediaTek and Broadcom have also launched plenty of chips with AV1 codec support. Now, a new leak suggests that the upcoming Snapdragon flagship processor -- the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is said to support the AV1 codec.

The Snapdragon Gen 2 might come with the model number SM8550, which makes it safe to assume it is indeed the successor to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which is internally known as SM8450. Besides the support for the new AV1 codec, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will have a host of new features and capabilities.

Advantages Of AV1 Codec

The one major advantage of the AV1 codec is the fact that it processes and streams videos in a much more efficient way. Hence, phones, which use the AV1 codec to stream videos will offer longer video playback time when compared to phones that use other codecs.

Do note that, the AV1 codec is developed by the Alliance for Open Media, which is a consortium, consisting of members like Microsoft, AMD, ARM, and more. The AV1 was announced back in 2018 and might go mainstream by 2023 as more brands will launch chips that can natively support the AV1 codec and is likely to replace AVC/H.264.

YouTube and Netflix are currently the two major platforms that offer video streaming via the AV1 codec. A report from protocol does suggest that platforms like HBO Max are currently evaluating the codec and might implement the same in near future.

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