For those of you knowledge of smartphone technology, it’s impossible to not know about the Snapdragon processors and their maker Qualcomm. Despite some up and downs, Qualcomm has managed to maintain a strong grip on the smartphone processor market with their Snapdragon SoCs. Despite this success, the company now wants the Snapdragon brand to go beyond just the SoC and to the whole hardware platform.
For decades, the semiconductor industry has used the term “processor” to mean the component that powers the most advanced devices. It’s a word that Qualcomm Technologies has embraced over the years with our Snapdragon brand, or as we say—our Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. But the word is an inadequate representation of what the technology actually is, and the solutions that tens of thousands of Qualcomm Technologies innovators have worked on.
In truth, Snapdragon is more than a single component, a piece of silicon, or what many would misinterpret as the CPU; it’s an anthology of technology, comprising hardware, software, and services that are not fully captured in a word like “processor.” That is why Qualcomm Technologies is refining our terminology by referring to Snapdragon as a “platform” instead of a processor.
When you think of Snapdragon, the company wants you to think of their RF front-ends, Quick Charge, digital-to-analog audio converters, Wi-Fi controller, touchscreen controllers, and fingerprint readers as well. Weirdly enough, this branding change is only going to affect the budget Snapdragon 200 lineup which is now Qualcomm Mobile. It looks like the company wants a marketing facelift to associate Snapdragon with their more premium offerings like the 400. 600 and 800.
