Qualcomm and Meta recently teamed up to unveil the new Meta Quest 3 and Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. The former sports a new Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 chip, let’s see how it compares with the previous model.
Admittedly, the chip inside of a mixed reality headset may not seem like the most obviously exciting part but the latest Snapdragon chip enables a lot of the new and interesting capabilities.
It’s quite the leap from the first generation Snapdragon XR2 platform. Here’s our simple guide on the key differences.
The second generation offers 2.5x GPU power
The statistic that is set to have the most dramatic effect on the performance of Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 products when compared to the prior generation is relating to graphical performance.
Qualcomm is touting that XR2 Gen 2 will offer 2.5x graphics performance over the first gen. The result will be boosted graphical fidelity in mixed reality, enabling improved visuals across gaming, apps and more.
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Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 has improved AI and sensors
A big boost to the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 comes in the form of sensors and how these sensors are interpreted using AI capabilities. In terms of raw numbers, the new chip enables 10 camera sensors, up from 7. The increased number of sensors allows headsets to provide 12ms full-colour video passthrough for massively enhanced mixed-reality capabilities.
The XR2 Gen 2 platform’s AI capabilities will also use these sensors to accurately map your room, making your mixed reality experience even more seamless. Compared with Gen 1, the new chip comes with 8x AI performance. This will aid with hand-tracking, voice recognition, eye-tracking, mapping and more.
Improved resolution and connectivity
What’s all that additional graphical grunt worth if you can’t see it? Well, Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 headsets, like the Meta Quest 3, can now offer 3K resolution per eye for extremely detailed visuals. By comparison, the Meta Quest 2 offered under 2K resolution per eye.
A big part of Meta’s mixed reality push is, of course, the metaverse. As such, strong connectivity is essential. 5G capabilities weren’t touted but the new Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 does offer Wi-Fi 7 support when Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 Wi-Fi and Bluetooth is also featured, with Wi-Fi 6E on offer typically. Qualcomm also offers the FastConnect Software Suite for XR as well as the Snapdragon Sound Technology Suite to help ensure seamless online and audio connectivity.
