Qualcomm today announced a major expansion of its Snapdragon S4 class of next-generation mobile processors and the enhancement of its Snapdragon S1 solutions for entry-level smartphones. The company says the new chips will be not only more powerful but also more battery friendly.

The enhanced S4 processors are optimized for use with a suite of software solutions available from Qualcomm that the company says help enable OEMs to deliver feature sets for multimedia, connectivity, camera, display, security, power management, browsing and natural user interface design.

Qualcomm announced several new S4 chipsets, including the MSM8660A, MSM8260A, MSM8630, MSM8230, MSM8627, MSM8227, APQ8060A and APQ8030. These are additional chipsets to the previously announced MSM8960, MSM8930 and APQ8064.

Snapdragon S4 MSM processors include Qualcomm's wireless modem technologies, including EV-DO, HSPA+, TD-SCDMA, LTE FDD, LTE TDD and Wi-Fi standards.

Devices based on Snapdragon S4 processors are expected to appear in early 2012.

The company also announced an upgrade to four of its existing Snapdragon S1 mobile processors. The MSM7225A, MSM7625A, MSM7227A and MSM7627A have been upgraded to deliver better performance for entry-level smartphone users, particularly those transitioning from 2G to 3G.

Qualcomm Snapdragon processors are classified by the S1, S2, S3 and S4 generations of products. The S1 class is meant for entry-level smartphones; the S2 class for high-performance smartphones and tablets; the S3 class for multi-tasking and advanced gaming; and the S4 class for next-generation devices.

But the fun doesn't stop with chips today. Qualcomm also announced the expansion of its 100+ games Snapdragon GamePack and launch of a new showcase application, Snapdragon GameCommand.

The new gaming titles being introduced as part of the extended Snapdragon GamePack and the new Snapdragon GameCommand app are all expected to hit the Android Market in early 2012. Additions to the Snapdragon GamePack initially will be designed to operate exclusively on Android-enabled devices powered by Snapdragon processors. These titles include a number of high-end PC games, such as "The Ball" from Tripwire Interactive, "Fight Game Heroes" from Khaeon Gamestudio and "GALAGA Special Edition."

The Snapdragon GamePack, launched in June 2011 at Qualcomm's Uplinq mobile developer conference, originally featured more than 100 game titles.