US chip-making company Qualcomm has launched its new budget-friendly chipset, the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2. The new chipset is designed specifically for the Indian market. The new processor aims to enable manufacturers to produce 5G smartphones compatible with standalone networks at a price point of Rs 8,200 or less.
The new release is considered significant because it fuels the competition between Qualcomm and its Taiwanese rival MediaTek in the growing Indian 5G chipset market, particularly for devices that come under Rs 10,000.
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Qualcomm To Join Xiaomi And Other OEMs
Qualcomm has partnered with Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi, with the first devices featuring the new Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 SoC expected to be available in India by October. The company is also in talks with other companies to launch the processor.
“The Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 Mobile Platform is a significant step towards making 5G technology more accessible to millions of people at the entry tier,” Chris Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile handsets, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., said in a statement.
“By balancing affordability and strong performance with all-day battery life, we are 6 upgrades from 4G. We are immensely proud of our engineering teams for their exceptional work in developing a solution that will significantly enhance mobile experiences for millions of people, not only in India but around the globe.”
Qualcomm faces stiff competition from MediaTek, as its Dimensity chipsets are already powering 5G phones prices around Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 in the country. MediaTek-powered devices in this price range include the Lava Blaze 5G, Itel P55, and Poco M6 64GB, which are compatible with both SA (Reliance Jio) and non-standalone (NSA) 5G networks.
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 Specifications
The latest chipset comes with a sophisticated 64-bit architecture, packing an octa-core Qualcomm Kryo CPU configuration. This setup comprises two high-performance cores that can reach speeds of up to 2.0 GHz, complemented by six efficiency-focused cores operating at a maximum of 1.8 GHz.
The integrated Adreno GPU supports advanced graphics APIs, including OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.1, and OpenCL 2.0. Utilizing cutting-edge 4nm fabrication technology, this system-on-chip (SoC) aims to deliver enhanced performance and power efficiency.
As per the company, devices packed with this chipset can incorporate LPDDR4x RAM with clock speeds up to 2133 MHz and use UFS 3.1 storage technology. The chip’s imaging capabilities are powered by a 12-bit Spectra Image Signal Processor (ISP), supporting single camera sensors up to 84MP. Advanced photography features such as electronic image stabilization (EIS) and Multi Frame Noise Reduction (MFNR) will also be supported.