As the ongoing drama over Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 processor continues, new information from one manufacturer sheds light on exactly which handsets are using the latest (and supposedly coolest) version 2.1 of the chip. Jeff Gordon, HTC's senior global online communications manager, says that according to Qualcomm "virtually all" manufacturers with Snapdragon 810 devices are using the newer revision, as opposed to the earlier version 2.0.
The truth, according to what Qualcomm tells me, is virtually all OEMs who've announced devices with Snapdragon 810 are currently using v2.1.
— Jeff Gordon (@urbanstrata) July 15, 2015
In a later tweet, Gordon specifically confirms that HTC uses Snapdragon 810 v2.1 in its flagship One M9.
OnePlus has made much of its use of Snapdragon 810 v2.1 in the upcoming OnePlus Two, dedicating a full paragraph in its CPU announcement post to the newer revision's thermals.
Although there have been reports that the 810 runs warmer than its predecessors, we assure you that we have taken all the necessary precautions and beyond to prevent this from occurring in the 2. We worked very closely with Qualcomm's engineers to integrate an improved version of the chipset (v2.1) in the OnePlus 2, and fine-tuned both hardware and software. The 2 will be "cooler than ever".
Elsewhere in the same post, the company specifically refers to its chip as "Snapdragon 810 v2.1," apparently wishing to distance itself from the thermal issues reported with some other 810-based phones.
There've also been unconfirmed reports that Sony's Xperia Z4 and Z3+ use the v2.1 SoC.
For our part, we've had mixed impressions of the chip in the various 810-powered Android phones we've tested. The HTC One M9 didn't give us any real performance or heat-related problems. The LG G Flex 2 was a little janky at launch, but improved with successive firmware updates, while the Sony Xperia Z3+ is a bag of hurt.
That's a demonstration, perhaps, that a smartphone is more than just a processor, and what you're doing with the chip matters just as much as the silicon you're using.
In any case, if you were worried about not having the latest 810 revision in your M9, you can rest a little easier tonight.
Source: @urbanstrata
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