Late last year, Qualcomm announced that the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor will include GPU updateable drivers. Similar to PC gaming, smartphone users will be able to update their GPU drivers more frequently and take advantage of potential performance and feature gains.
Google has announced a new Android GPU Inspector to make building and optimizing games on the platform easier. The Android GPU Inspector can offer a massive boost in in-game performance.
These Galaxy S20 features (One UI 2.1) coming to the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy Note 10
While working with a game partner using the Android GPU Inspector and a Pixel 4 XL powered by Snapdragon, Google was able to discover an optimization opportunity that saved the game 40% in GPU utilization. The optimization delivered faster frame rates for smoother graphics and longer battery life.
Now, Google and Qualcomm Technologies are currently collaborating with game studios on the Android GPU Inspector and updateable GPU drivers for the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Samsung Galaxy S10 with more device availability coming later.
The initial list of supported phones include:
- Galaxy Note 10
- Galaxy Note 10+
- Galaxy S10e
- Galaxy S10
- Galaxy S10+
- Pixel 4
- Pixel 4 XL
These improvements to the Adreno GPU driver will be compiled and released to consumers as an update through the Play Store.
Note: You can also expect the GPU driver updates for the Galaxy S20 series, Galaxy Fold, and the Galaxy Z Flip.
