Qualcomm Inc (NASDAQ:QCOM) launched its new top-tier smartphone chip aimed at premium-priced Android phones. The chip involves features like sharper photos and graphics than handsets using chips from rivals.

• The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip will have similar computing cores to rivals like MediaTek Inc (OTC:MDTKF), which recently announced a chip aimed at premium phones, Reuters reports. 
• Almost every other part of the chip is custom designed by Qualcomm, including those playing a role in the visual quality of photos and graphics-intensive apps like games.
• Qualcomm has been crafting software that will let handset makers tap deeper into those parts of the chip.
• Qualcomm said that over a dozen phone makers, including Xiaomi Corp (OTC:XIACF) (OTC:XICY), Sony Group Corp (NYSE:SONY), and Honor, the brand spun out of Huawei Technologies Group Ltd, have signed up to use the new chips.
• The phones featuring the chips will be on the market before 2021 end.
• Related Content: Qualcomm Claims Unabated Growth Without Apple Which Aims Towards Self Sufficiency By 2023, Apple Leans Towards TSM To Reduce Reliance On Qualcomm
• Price Action: QCOM shares traded higher by 1.25% at $182.21 in the premarket session on the last check Wednesday.