Qualcomm is the undisputed leader in mobile chips. You could argue that Apple does a better job with their processors, and you’d be right according to the testing that AnandTech has done, but when it comes to Android, it’s Qualcomm or bust. Now in order to stay on top, you have to keep on innovating, which means better products. According to a rumor on Fudzilla, Qualcomm will release new Snapdragons early next year that feature a new GPU called the Adreno 400.

Stepping back for a moment, what is a GPU? It stands for graphics processing unit. ARM designs them. Imagination Technologies designs them. And so does Qualcomm. Historically, Imagination Technologies has made the best graphics processors, which explains why Apple has a near 10% stake in the company. Anyone can use their GPUs, you just have to pay the licensing fees. Qualcomm has decided to do things in-house, and for the most part, benchmarks show they’ve done a good job.

While no one really knows what this rumored Adreno 400 has to offer, chances are we’ll hear Qualcomm talk about it being X percent faster while also reducing power consumption by Y percent. Even if you’re not a gamer, your next device will need a more powerful GPU if it’s going to render the 2K display that flagship phones are expected to have in 2014 and the 4K displays that phones might have in 2015.

Speaking about a new Snapdragon, will this chip, likely to be unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show, be 64-bit compatible? I highly doubt it, but if I’m wrong, hey, that’s a good thing.