中端机这条路，高通能走得通吗

高通新品处理器骁龙625/435/425都指向中端机市场。过去几周给我们强烈的信号，高通已经从专注开发智能手机处理器开始转移。这家芯片厂商近期发布的消息表明其正向服务器芯片市场渗透，这也表明该公司认为在不久的将来其他处理器业务将更加有利可图。

如果仔细分析高通最近发布的骁龙625/435/425几款处理器可以发现，这几款产品是对骁龙617/430/415这几款产品的升级，均面向中端市场。典型代表是骁龙625，采用了最新的14nm FinFET工艺，可帮助降低35%的功耗，将对应用产生极大影响，可帮助智能手机制造商为用户提供更出色的节能表现。

Snapdragon 625, 435, and 425 will all target the mid-tier market

The past few weeks have seen enough evidence to suggest that Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) is deviating from its primary focus on the development of smartphone processors. Announcements made recently by the American chipmaker regarding its venture into the server chip market would suggest that the company sees other processor businesses as more profitable in the near future.

This claim is further substantiated when you take a closer look at the declarations made by Qualcomm at Analyst Day last week. The management announced that it is introducing a smartwatch SoC and the first ever 1 Gbps wireless LTE modem. These announcement combined with the fact it is set to get the official backing from one of the biggest names in the technology industry, Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL), for supplying server chips, indicates that the chipmaker is ending its dependency on the smartphone processors.

There is no arguing the fact that Qualcomm is trying to expand its operations, but some of the finer details have been overlooked by investors and industry experts alike during the Analyst Day. Accompanying all the other announcements made on Thursday, the management stated that it will be developing chipsets which will cater particularly to the mid-tier of the smartphone market. Despite the popular belief that the semiconductor company is limiting its exposure in the mobile processor business, it is basically channeling its focus by utilizing its vast processor portfolio efficiently.

Qualcomm announced its next series of chipsets, which include Snapdragon 435, Snapdragon 425, and Snapdragon 625. A close look at the chips solidify the claim that these chips are being made especially for the mid-tier market and are an upgrade to its old 617, 430, and 415 processors. One which stands out the most from the bunch is the Snapdragon 625, which incorporates the latest 14nm FinFET technology. The state-of-the-art technology would help reduce power by 35% and the implications of that are massive. It would enable smartphone manufacturers who use the 625 chipset to deliver some impressive power savings to customers.

It makes perfect business sense for Qualcomm to target mid-tier market as most big smartphone makers have moved from procuring processors from third parties to developing it themselves. A perfect example of this is Samsung, which after a long affiliation with Qualcomm, preferred to power its Galaxy 6 series smartphones with its in-house Exynos chips. Even though it has adopted the Snapdragon 820 for its upcoming Galaxy 7 smartphones, there is always the risk of Samsung or other manufacturers ditching the American semiconductor company in the future.

Targeting mid-tier market would enable the American chipmaker to eliminate some of the risk posed by big names and will also allow for a steady revenue stream in the future. Qualcomm needs to diversify its portfolio of offering as the company’s stock has had a horrendous 2015, where it lost roughly 34% of its value.

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