Qualcomm's current top processor is the Snapdragon 810, which is only shipping in the LG G Flex 2 and set to appear in upcoming flagships like the HTC One M9. But at Mobile World Congress the chip manufacturer is already taking the wraps off of its next-gen design, the predictably-named Snapdragon 820. Details on the exact capabilities of the new chip are scarce, but Qualcomm says it should be ready to ship to mobile manufacturers sometime in the second half of this year.

The press release below doesn't delve into speed or raw capability, instead focusing on built-in functions like enhanced photos, wireless radio innovations, security features, and "always on" services. It does confirm that the Snapdragon 820 will use a 64-bit architecture (not surprising, since the 810 and lower-power chips like the 610 and 410 are also 64-bit). The codename for the new chipset is "Zeroth," and the architecture of the CPU itself is called "Kryo." Qualcomm will likely be seeking customers for the new chips behind closed doors at MWC.

In the last couple of months Qualcomm's position as the undisputed king of mobile processors has become more shaky. Samsung has elected to use its own Exynos processors in the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, going without a Snapdragon model for the first time, and the benchmarks show that those phones are considerably faster than their Qualcomm-based competition. (Note: benchmarks can be manipulated fairly easily.) There have also been rumors of overheating with the Snapdragon 810, and we've seen at least some evidence of thermal throttling in the G Flex 2.