According to an article from Electronista, it seems that the next-gen processors from Qualcomm, Krait-era Snapdragons, with the MSM8960 are being prepared for a release later this year. According to the article, it would feature dual cores that are capable of hitting 1.7GHz in terms of speed, while offering support for dual-channel 500MHz memory. Not only that, LTE 4G and 21Mbps HSPA+ for 3G connectivity would be supported as well, with the Adreno 225 graphics being more than adequate to record 1080p video without dropping frames, or shooting 20-megapixel photos in 3D glory.
Sounds fine and dandy, but we suppose the higher clock speed and dual cores will definitely sip far more battery, not to mention having your smartphone remain connected on a 4G network all day long. The HTC Thunderbolt itself has a poor battery life already for a 4G handset, so it will be interesting to see what kind of battery will be used to make sure the Krait processors are able to do their job without running out of juice shortly thereafter.
Who will most probably use these new Snapdragons? We are looking at the usual suspects of HTC and LG, alongside other smartphone and tablet manufacturers whose devices run on Android.