Snapdragon 660: Benchmarks, impressions and everything you need to know!

The long-awaited successor to the Snapdragon 653 is here.

Qualcomm made the switch to the 14nm manufacturing node with the Snapdragon 820, which started rolling out at the beginning of 2016. The company also made the 14nm node accessible to the mid-range segment with the Snapdragon 625, the successor to the Snapdragon 617. The 14 FinFET node allowed for vastly increased efficiency, with the SD625 consuming 35% less energy when compared to the 28nm SD617.

As a result, the Snapdragon 625 turned out to be extremely popular, powering everything from the $150 Redmi Note 4 to the $500 BlackBerry KEYone. Looking ahead to the latter half of 2017, Qualcomm has rolled out key updates to the Snapdragon 600 series with two new chipsets — the Snapdragon 630 and the Snapdragon 660.

The Snapdragon 630 is the direct successor to the Snapdragon 625, offering 30% faster cores, support for Bluetooth 5, a faster LTE modem, USB 3.1 with USB-C, a new ISP, and Quick Charge 4.0.

The Snapdragon 660 is the more interesting of the two, as it is the successor to the Snapdragon 653. The Snapdragon 660 is designed to bring flagship-class performance to the mid-range segment, with Qualcomm rolling out a slew of updates.

The chipset features custom Kryo cores — a first for this segment, a new Adreno 512 GPU, Snapdragon X12 LTE modem with download speeds of 600Mbps and 3x carrier aggregation, Wi-Fi ac with 2×2 MU-MIMO, a Spectra 160 image signal processor, Bluetooth 5, Quick Charge 4.0, and USB 3.1. Qualcomm is touting a 20% increase in performance when compared to the SD653 from the new Kryo 260 cores, and a 30% uptick for the GPU.

Before we delve in, a look at the specs on offer with the Snapdragon 660.

Snapdragon 660 specs

There’s no information on the underlying ARM core the Kryo 260 is based on, but it’s likely Qualcomm is using a semi-custom design, much like what it did with the Kryo 280 on the Snapdragon 835. The core configuration is split into two sectors — performance and efficiency, with the former featuring four 2.2GHz cores and the latter four 1.8GHz cores.

The Spectra 160 is particularly interesting, as it enables a lot of camera experiences that have thus far been limited to flagship chipsets. The ISP supports hybrid autofocus, dual rear camera setups (up to 16MP for each imaging sensor), dual photodiode autofocus, smooth optical zoom, and EIS for video.

Snapdragon 660 benchmarks

The OPPO R11 is the first phone to feature the Snapdragon 660, and it gives us an early look at how the Snapdragon 660 fares when compared to the likes of the Snapdragon 652, Snapdragon 835, and others.

AnTuTu

AnTuTu Benchmark

Geekbench

Geekbench 4.0

Basemark

Basemark OS II

Octane 2.0

Google Octane 2.0

GFXBench

GFXBench GL Benchmark

3DMark

3DMark (Sling Shot Extreme)

The benchmarks show a performance increase across the board for the Snapdragon 660, with the chipset coming close to last year’s flagship SoCs. That’s consistent with what I’ve seen in the two weeks I used the R11. There’s a noticeable uptick in battery life as well from the likes of the Snapdragon 650/652/653.

For now, the main issue with the Snapdragon 660 is its availability, or lack thereof. The OPPO R11 is limited to Asia, and won’t be available outside of the region anytime soon. More devices powered by the Snapdragon 660 should be rolling out in Q4, and if recent rumors are any indication, the Moto X4 will be the first phone to be powered by the Snapdragon 660 in the U.S.

Once it becomes mainstream, I think it will quickly become one of the most popular mid-range chips on the market; from a CPU perspective, it benchmarks close to the Snapdragon 835 in some respects, and handily beats every other budget SoC on the market. Lots to look forward to!

How to play GameCube and Wii games with Dolphin VR

How do I set up the Dolphin VR emulator for Rift and Vive?

The world of VR attracts many players and developers into its fold, and one result is Dolphin VR, a Nintendo GameCube and Wii emulator for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. That’s right; as long as you have some old games lying around that you can rip into an ISO file, you can be playing them in your head-mounted display. Let’s take a look at how to get Dolphin VR set up!

Read more at VRHeads!

Get 5 Overwatch loot boxes free with Twitch Prime

Our friends at Thrifter are back again, this time with a way to get 5 free Overwatch loot boxes!

So this deal is pretty simple. If you own the video game Overwatch and you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can get 5 free loot boxes for the game. The loot boxes come from Twitch Prime, which is included with an Amazon Prime membership. You can still get the Overwatch Golden Loot Box that was released previously, and you can expect 5 more loot boxes to be released in October. This deal is good from Aug 10 to Sept 10.

Since Twitch is now owned by Amazon, Twitch Prime is basically a side benefit of being an Amazon Prime member. It gets you ad-free streaming on Twitch, a free monthly subscription to use on your favorite streamer, and access to awesome exclusive content like this deal. If you want to learn more about the program, check out the Windows Central article on it.

If you aren’t a member of Amazon Prime, and subsequently not a member of Twitch Prime, but you want to be, you can sign up here.

Overwatch is not the only game that releases exclusive content on Twitch. So far they’ve done tons of games like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Warframe, For Honor, and many others. This is a deal that will never die so keep a look out for your favorite games.

If you don’t have Overwatch yet, you can get it for PC, Xbox One, or PlayStation 4, and this deal works with every platform.

If you need a console to play it on, there are a couple of great Xbox One S bundle deals going on right now, too.

See on Twitch

More from Thrifter

• Tips for becoming an expert eBay seller
• How to avoid baggage fees

For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!

Here are July’s winners of the Honor/Huawei incentive program!

These are the lucky July winners of some cool Huawei/Honor swag.

There’s nothing like being a cool person on the internet and winning great gadgets while doing so. But with our Huawei/Honor Community Incentive Program, you can do just that! The basis is pretty simple: be an active, engaged and friendly member of the Huawei or Honor communities in our forums to win great stuff.

Here are the winners from July:

• Guytronic — Congrats, you’ve won an Honor 6X!
• B. Diddy — Congrats, you’ve won an Honor Band Z!
• cert15z — Congrats, you’ve won an Honor Band Z!

We’ve already halfway into August, but there’s still plenty of time to get to the top of the charts and win some amazing stuff! All you need to do is be active our Huawei/Honor communities!

Learn more about the Huawei/Honor Incentive Program!

These Card Holders Work With Any Phone Case, Let You Leave Wallet at Home

Want to carry around your cash and cards but don’t like wallet cases? Check out these card and cash holders that will work with any phone!

Sometimes it’s nice to have the option to leave your bulky wallet at home and only carry around a little bit of cash and a few valuable cards around with you. Wallet cases for your cell phone are a standard solution to this problem; however, wallet cases can be bulky and lack the protection you need to keep your phone safe.

Adhesive card holders will affix to the back of any phone or phone case you have and give you the ability to lug a few cards around with you; here are a few of our favorites!

Cell Phone Wallet by Cellessentials

The simple design of the Cell Phone Wallet by Cellessentials is perfect for carrying around your credit card and ID without standing out from your phone or cases design too much.

The 3M adhesive on the back will stick to any surface, and shouldn’t leave any gooey residue on the back of your phone. Plus, the card holder is big enough to fit three cards inside, meaning you should be able to carry all your important ones.

Cell Phone Wallet by Cellessentials comes in a three pack and three colors (black, gray, or white) for around $7.

See at Amazon

CardNinja Cell Phone Wallet

The high-rated adhesive card holder on Amazon, the CardNinja Cell Phone Wallet has an average of 4.5 stars with over 1,400 reviews.

The CardNinja claims to be able to hold up to four cards at once, thanks to its stretchy spandex-like compartment. This material also has the added benefit of making sure your cards stay in place and don’t fall out.

The 3M adhesive makes installation a breeze, and you can rest easy knowing no sticky residue will be left behind.

The CardNinja Cell Phone Wallet costs around $12 and comes in a wide variety of colors such as black, gold, and blue raspberry. Plus, you can also pick one up with a fancy pattern if you’d like it to stand out from the crowd.

See at Aamzon

Bellagio Italia Leather Folding Phone Wallet

If you’re looking for a card holder that provides a more prestigious look, the Bellagio Italia Leather Folding Phone Wallet could be for you.

Made from leather, this card holder looks more like a conventional wallet or billfold. It can hold up to four cards at a time, meaning you shouldn’t have to leave an important one at home, and it can close making sure your cards are securely in place.

Bellagio Italia Leather Folding Phone Wallet will add some extra bulk to your phone as it is roughly half an inch thick when closed and it will also cost you a little bit more (approximately $14) for the premium materials

See at Amazon

Tell us what you think?

Do you like these adhesive card holders? Let us know in the comments below!

Pilot error caused fatal Icon A5 plane crash, NTSB says

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has determined that the Icon A5 crash that killed two Icon employees was caused by pilot error and not a problem with the aircraft. The final determination was a “failure to maintain clearance from terrain while maneuvering at a low altitude,” the report states. The situation was caused by a “mistaken entry into a canyon surrounded by steep rising terrain while at a low altitude for reasons that could not be determined.”

A witness said the amphibious plane was flying low over a lake “and entered a nearby cove, which was surrounded by rising terrain on either side … [when] he heard the engine ‘rev up and accelerate hard.’” He heard the sound of an impact shortly after losing sight of the plane. “It is likely that the pilot mistakenly thought the canyon he entered was a different canyon that led to the larger, open portion of the lake,” the NTSB wrote.

The accident is tragic and Icon mourns the loss of two employees, but the finding shows there’s nothing wrong with the plane itself. Buyers can thus feel safe, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which recently certified the A5 in the light-sport category, can be satisfied with its decision.

The amphibious aircraft, which Engadget’s Chris Velazco had the chance to fly a couple years ago, is unique for its relatively low price ($250,000), great looks, complete airplane parachute (CAP, above), foldable wings and land or sea capability. Unlike most private airplanes, the built-in pontoons let you take it onto small lakes, opening up a lot more places to use it. At the same time, you can cruise at a respectable 95 mph, not bad for a seaplane powered by a 100 horsepower Rotax motor.

The aircraft has numerous safety features besides the parachute, including an angle-of-attack gauge to help pilots avoid loss-of-control stalls, and a spin-resistant, composite airframe. Nevertheless, learning to pilot on water is a challenge and light-sport pilots can fly with after training for fewer hours than fully certified private pilots (20 hours compared to around 40 hours).

Rising terrain accidents are one of the most common accidents in light aircraft, and usually result in fatalities. However, they usually happen when pilots blunder into inclement weather conditions. In this case, the weather was clear, and it seems like a very unfortunate case of mistaken knowledge about the lay of the land.

Via: Fast Co.

Source: NTSB

Amazon plans Prime Video shows with ‘Walking Dead’ creator

It looks like we’re not finished with deals between comic book creators and online movie studios. Hot on the heels of Netflix announcing its acquisition of Mark Millar’s comic book empire Millarworld comes news from Amazon. The company now has a first-look deal with Robert Kirkman and David Albert’s Skybound Entertainment, the media organization behind The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead. Additionally, Skybound (and Kirkman specifically) will develop original TV projects for Prime Video.

Skybound has quite a few comics on its roster, and Kirkman is a great get for Amazon. Not only is the company behind The Walking Dead, but it also publishes popular comics such as Outcast (which has already been developed into a TV show by Kirkman; its second season recently finished airing), Birthright and Invincible. It’s just the latest example of studios — especially streaming companies — that are eager to acquire valuable intellectual property and sign on renowned content creators to develop TV shows and films.

Source: Amazon

Toyota allies with Intel to develop self-driving car ecosystem

Toyota is teaming up with Intel, and an assortment of tech and automotive firms, to develop an ecosystem for connected cars. By sharing self-driving vehicle data, the companies aim to develop maps and improved driver assistance systems based on cloud computing. Rounding out the alliance (dubbed the “Automotive Edge Computing Consortium”) will be Ericsson, Japanese auto parts-maker Denso Corp, and telecoms firm NTT DoCoMo.

Practically everyone is wading into the autonomous car space. And, collaboration between firms is just as common. Alphabet’s Waymo, and GM, are buddying up with Lyft. Renault is cozying up to Nissan. And China’s search giant Baidu is targeting, well, everyone. And that’s just a smattering of the team-ups currently taking place. Toyota itself also recently hooked up with Nissan to build a US assembly plant for EVs and self-driving cars.

All those connected car tests are already racking up big data, which will ramp up exponentially over time. In fact, it’s estimated the data volume between vehicles and the cloud will reach 10 exabytes per month by 2025, said Toyota. That’s approximately 10,000 times larger than the present amount, according to the company. Pooling some of that data in the form of an alliance therefore makes a lot of sense. Especially, if Toyota and Intel intend to keep up with the competition.

Source: Toyota

An AI ‘nose’ can remember different scents

Russian researchers are using deep learning neural networks to sniff out potential scent-based threats. The technique is a bit dense (as anything with neural nets tends to be), but the gist is that the electronic “nose” can remember new smells and recognize them after the fact.

When the sensor detects a smell, an AI takes over and checks it against a database of known scents for “the closest similar smell determined by the smallest Hamming distance to any know code,” HSE writes. If it can’t find a match, the sensor will identify the scent as being new.

The difference between this and other scent prediction/identification tech — like the crowdfunded one from this February — is that it can sense more than one scent at a time. Useful for, say, gas mixtures.

“Essentially, we want to teach the device to discriminate between hazardous and non-hazardous gas mixtures and memorize them fast,” MIEM HSE professor Vladimir Kulagin says.

At the least, it could greatly benefit folks working in mines or enclosed spaces as sort of a digital canary, alerting folks when an unsafe gas has entered the area.

Source: HSE

Apple Pay Could Launch in Germany as Early as Next Month

Hints about when Apple Pay is coming to Germany have been few and far between over the last year, with negotiations between Apple and German banks allegedly stalling due to conflicting views over fees and controls.

The last rumor came back in May and suggested that Apple Pay would launch in the country in the fall or winter, but today one MacRumors reader provided us with another potential hint that Apple is gearing up to introduce its mobile payment system in Germany imminently.

While setting up a new Apple Watch on the fifth regional betas of iOS 11 and watchOS 4, developer Philipp Ebener was presented with the option to add German bank cards to Apple Pay for the first time.

Philipp reports that he wasn’t able to register any of his German credit cards with the system, but the fact that the feature has been partially enabled suggests full activation could come with the official public launch of both operating systems.

Apple will release the final version of iOS 11 and watchOS 4 at its next major event in September, where it is expected to debut new iPhone models and a new Apple Watch with LTE for a standalone cellular connection.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3, watchOS 4, iOS 11, Apple Pay
Tag: Germany
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)
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