Many smartphone users have yet to even get the chance to try out a device with a dual-core chipset, yet progress thunders onward, already approaching the age of quad-core SoCs. NVIDIA looks like it will be first to the table, bringing some of that processing muscle to Android handsets with its Kal-El Tegra 3 later this year. What about the other guys, though? About a month ago, Qualcomm announced its own plans for quad-core Snapdragon smartphone processors, and now a leaked roadmap gives us a further glimpse into what those plans may have in store for us.

Qualcomm’s first quad-core processor may be the APQ8064, scheduled for arrival next year, but that’s just the start. Following that initial model, Qualcomm will start producing its MSM8974, a quad-core setup based on its Krait design that’s clockable up to 2.5GHz. The system will use an Adreno 320 for its graphics, supporting rendering of up to 225 million triangles per second. Of course, there will be support for high-res 1080p video, as well as data connectivity on the popular 4G systems.

On the lower-end of the spectrum, Qualcomm will release its MSM8930, a dual-core Krait setup running up to 1.2GHz. By when it arrives, this time next year, we may just be seeing our first budget-priced dual-core Androids.

In the more immediate future, we can look forward to the MSM8960, designed with Windows 8 in mind, but we could see it on some smartphones, too. This time Qualcomm’s Krait cores are running in the 1.5-1.7GHz range, and accompany an Adreno 225 GPU. The first smartphones built around it could start showing up in very early 2012.

Source: Mobile Tech World

Via: GSM Arena