Qualcomm unveils smartphone chip with laptop-level capabilities

The latest version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon line-up will include its in-house Oryon processor design, the company said Monday at an event in Hawaii. The chip will be 45 per cent faster than the previous model and use less energy, Qualcomm said.

Qualcomm’s products dominate the market for mobile devices that use the Android operating system. That makes the company’s technology updates a vital part of efforts to compete against Apple by many of the world’s smartphone makers.

Qualcomm’s decision to shift back toward its own processor designs is part of move by chief executive officer Cristiano Amon to invest more in home-grown technology. The Snapdragon line-up had become more reliant on the designs of Arm Holdings under previous leadership.

Oryon, developed by a team of engineers that Amon brought in with Qualcomm’s acquisition of start-up Nuvia, is already a central part of chips that the company sells for laptops.