Qualcomm Enhances Camera AI Capabilities

Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC is said to improve its AI capabilities over the previous generation:

"Snapdragon 665 is loaded with advanced AI capabilities to enhance your daily life. Powered by our third generation Qualcomm AI Engine, Hexagon 686 DSP, and Hexagon Vector eXtensions (HVX) for advanced on-device imaging and computing, you can enjoy features like AR Translate that instantly translates words in multiple languages. This latest platform also performs smart biometrics for enhanced security with features like 3D Face Unlock. Overall, these leading on-device AI features are 2X faster than the previous generation mobile platform, the Snapdragon 660.

Some of the Snapdragon 665’s most exciting AI features are related to the camera, opening up the possibilities for brilliant new capture capabilities. Take better shots thanks to object detection, auto scene detect, and smart cropping. Additionally, portrait mode, low-light night mode, and super resolution are designed to ensure you can capture the detail you want up close, at night, and in a multitude of different settings."

Snapdragon 730 and 730G SoCs feature the company's 4th generation AI processor:

"AI: Packing 2x the power of its predecessor, Qualcomm Technologies’ 4th generation multi-core Qualcomm® AI Engine accelerates intuitive on-device interactions for camera, gaming, voice and security. The Qualcomm® Hexagon™ 688 Processor inside Snapdragon 730 supports improved base scalar and Hexagon Vector eXtensions (HVX) performance, as well as the new Hexagon Tensor Accelerator—now adding dedicated AI processing into the Hexagon Processor. The combination of these provides a powerful blend of dedicated and programmable AI acceleration now in the 7 series.

Camera: For the first time in the 7 series, the Snapdragon 730 features the Qualcomm Spectra™ 350, featuring a dedicated Computer Vision (CV) ISP, to provide up to 4x overall power savings in Computer Vision compared to the previous generation. The lower power and faster CV can capture 4K HDR videos in Portrait Mode (Bokeh). The CV-ISP is also capable of high resolution depth sensing and the ability to support triple cameras that feature ultra-wide, portrait and telephoto lenses. It also captures photos and videos in the HEIF format so users can document life from multiple angles and store it all at half the file size to the previous generation."

Qualcomm's AI Day video shows the broad capabilities that the company expects to bring to the market: