Qualcomm packs 5G speeds into entry-level Snapdragon 4 series

Qualcomm highlighted improved battery life, 1 Gb/s download data rates and a good CPU performance for its new budget-level Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 chip, which it claimed would make 5G accessible to billions of smartphone users worldwide.

The chip company stated the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 chip 5G modem-RF system delivers throughput speeds up to seven-times faster than Cat4 LTE.

Carina Affinito, staff manager of product marketing, explained the platform enables gigabit 5G smartphones for less than $99, making it accessible to 2.8 billion smartphone users.

“Bringing gigabit 5G with this tier is monumental,” Affinito said.

In addition to the faster data rates, it also delivers up to 40 per cent lower latency and up to 37 per cent more power efficiency than competing products.

Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 is equipped with a Qualcomm spectra-dual 12-bit ISP, which includes auto enhancements and multi-frame noise reduction.

Affinito stated it also removes graininess for sharp clear images and videos.

Mobile gaming is available at 90 fps on a full-HD Plus display. Qualcomm’s Q-Sync automatically synchronises display and game frame rates.

The Qualcomm AqsticTM audio codec provides high-resolution audio playback directly from a user’s device.

Its aptXTM Adaptive audio delivers uninterrupted sound across gaming video and high-resolution 96kHz music streaming while aptX Voice enables wideband voice calls.

The Kryo CPU comes with a 64-bit architecture with two performance cores up to 2GHz and six efficiency cores up to 1.8GHz.

Qualcomm claims the battery lasts all day. Its Quick ChargeTM 4+ Technology powers up to 50 per cent of a device’s battery life in 15 minutes.

Xiaomi has first crack at the new chip, with commercial devices expected to be announced by the year-end.