Any links to online stores should be assumed to be affiliates. The company or PR agency provides all or most review samples. They have no control over my content, and I provide my honest opinion.
As much as I love Qualcomm and their mobile chipsets, one of the biggest issues Android WearOS has faced is the truly shocking chipsets available to it.
We are currently only just seeing watches feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 3100, which launched last year and is based on the SD425 chipset that launched in 2016 that was based on the massive 29nm fabrication process (in comparison to the 7nm of the SD855+).
In fact, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 3100 was almost identical to the chipset it replaced from the year before, the Snapdragon Wear 3100, the only inclusion was the Cortex M0 coprocessor which is an ultra low powered processor used for background processes which should have saved a lot of battery life. In reality, WearOS devices still barely get a day of life and this is likely why companies have been reluctant to adopt the newer chipset.
In comparison, Samsung have been embarrassing Qualcomm with their Exynos 9110 which launched in August 2018. This chipset is built on the 10nm fabrication process and uses the superior Cortex-A53 CPU, the only downside is that their chipset has 2 cores vs 4 of Qualcomm.
XDA-Developers have identified new information about the up and coming Qualcomm Snapdragon 3300 via a code commit which indicates Qualcomm have finally pulled their finger out. The new Snapdragon Wear 3300 chipset will be based on the Snapdragon 429 processor which debuted in 2018, so it will be two years out of date by launch, but it reduces the fabrication process down from 28nm to 12nm,
The SD429 is a quad-core chipset, so I would assume the same for the Wear 3300, and it uses the Adreno 504 which should provide a massive improvement in performance. The SD429 is clocked at 1.95GHz but I would expect the Wear 3300 to be more like 1.2Ghz similar to other wearable chipsets.
Not much else is know about the chipset, but it should bring the Qualcomm option in line with Samsung and hopefully we will finally see a semi-decent battery life from a WearOS watch.
| Snapdragon Wear 4100+ | Snapdragon Wear 3100 | Snapdragon Wear 2100 | Exynos 9110 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First announced | June 2020 | September 2018 | 1st February 2016 | August 9, 2018 |
| Fabrication Process | 12nm | 28nm | 28nm | 10 nm (0.01 μm, 1.0e-5 mm) |
| Core count | 4 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Clock Speed | 1.7 | 1.2 GHz | 1.2 GHz | 1.15 GHz |
| Core name | ARM Cortex A53 | ARM Cortex A7 | ARM Cortex A7 | Cortex-A53 |
| CPU Architecture | 64 bit | 32-bit | 32-bit | 64 bit |
| Integrated gpu | Adreno 504 @750Mhz | Adreno 304 GPU @400Mhz | Adreno 304 GPU | Mali-T720 MP1? |
| Coprocessor | Enhanced QCC1110 Cortex M0 | QCC1110 Cortex M0 | No | No |
| RAM | LPDDR3 750Mhz | LPDDR3 400Mhz | ||
| Isa | ARMv7-A | ARMv7-A | ARMv7-A | ARMv8.2 |
| 802.11b/g/n | 802.11b/g/n | 802.11n | Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n | |
| Bluetooth 5, | Bluetooth 4.1 | Bluetooth 4.1 | Bluetooth 4.2 | |
| Cellular | X5 2G/3G/LTE (Cat 4, up to 150/50 Mbit/s) | X5 2G/3G/LTE (Cat 4, up to 150/50 Mbit/s) | X5 2G/3G/LTE (Cat 4, up to 150/50 Mbit/s) | 3G/LTE |
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
