Snapdragon 835 VR Development Kit

Snapdragon 835 VR Development Kit
Basic Info
VR/AR	Virtual Reality
Type	Head-mounted display
Subtype	Standalone VR (Reference Design)
Platform	Android
Creator	Qualcomm
Price	Developer kit pricing
Website	https://developer.qualcomm.com
System
CPU	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
GPU	Adreno 540
Storage
Storage	64 GB
Display
Display	WQHD AMOLED
Resolution	2560 x 1440 (1280 x 1440 per eye)
Image
Optics
Tracking
Tracking	6DoF (dual cameras, sensor fusion)
Eye Tracking	Foveated rendering support
Audio
Connectivity
Device
Sensors	Gyroscope, accelerometer, dual cameras

The Snapdragon 835 VR Development Kit (also known as Snapdragon 835 VRDK) is a standalone virtual reality head-mounted display reference design developed by Qualcomm. Released in 2017, the VRDK serves as a development platform for hardware manufacturers creating VR headsets based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. The design is part of Qualcomm's Head Mounted Display (HMD) Accelerator Program.

History and Development

HMD Accelerator Program

The Snapdragon 835 VRDK was developed as part of Qualcomm's Head Mounted Display Accelerator Program, which provides hardware manufacturers with reference designs and development tools to accelerate the creation of VR headsets using Qualcomm processors.

Reference Design Purpose

While not intended for direct consumer sales, the VRDK serves as a complete reference implementation that manufacturers can use as a starting point for their own VR headset products.

Design and Hardware

Processor

The VRDK is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, a flagship mobile processor optimized for VR applications:

• CPU: Octa-core Kryo 280
• GPU: Adreno 540
• DSP: Hexagon 682

Display System

• Panel: Single WQHD AMOLED
• Resolution: 2560 x 1440 (four megapixels total, two megapixels per eye)
• Per Eye: 1280 x 1440
• Aspect Ratio: 16:9

Field of View

The reference design offers a 90-degree diagonal field of view.

Memory and Storage

• RAM: 4 GB
• Storage: 64 GB internal

Tracking System

6DoF Tracking

The VRDK includes full six degrees of freedom (6DoF) tracking through:

• Cameras: Dual front-facing monochromatic stereo cameras (1 megapixel each)
• IMU: Gyroscopes and accelerometers
• Processing: DSP sensor fusion

DSP Sensor Fusion

The Qualcomm Hexagon DSP enables advanced sensor fusion, combining:

• Camera positional data
• High-frequency inertial data from gyroscopes and accelerometers
• Predictive head position processing

Snapdragon VR SDK

The VRDK utilizes the Snapdragon VR SDK, which provides developers access to features and optimizations including:

Core Technologies

• DSP Sensor Fusion: Low-latency 6DoF tracking
• Foveated Rendering: Eye-tracking-based rendering optimization
• Low Latency Rendering: Optimized VR rendering pipeline

Engine Support

The SDK includes Snapdragon plugin support for:

• Unity
• Unreal Engine (Epic Games)

Foveated Rendering

Foveated rendering senses the user's gaze direction and focuses maximum visual detail only in the region of interest, reducing GPU workload while maintaining perceived visual quality.

Form Factor

All-in-One Design

The VRDK is a fully standalone VR headset requiring no:

• External PC connection
• Smartphone insertion
• External sensors

Specifications

Specification	Details
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
GPU	Adreno 540
RAM	4 GB
Storage	64 GB
Display	WQHD AMOLED
Resolution	2560 x 1440 (1280 x 1440 per eye)
Field of View	90°
Tracking	6DoF (dual cameras + IMU)
OS	Android 7.1
SDK	Snapdragon VR SDK
Type	Reference Design

Derivative Products

The Snapdragon 835 VRDK influenced the development of commercial VR headsets from various manufacturers participating in Qualcomm's HMD Accelerator Program.

See Also

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
• Snapdragon 845 VR Development Kit
• Snapdragon XR1 HMD Reference Design
• Snapdragon XR2 HMD Reference Design
• Qualcomm
• Virtual Reality