Qualcomm brings 5G to 100-euro smartphones

Qualcomm is bringing 5G to the entry-level class. With the introduction of the new Snapdragon 4s Gen 2, the US chip giant wants to offer a new SoC with 5G modem and octa-core CPU to also serve the lower end of the smartphone price scale. Qualcomm

Two high-end cores with up to 2 GHz

The Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 is a platform for low-end smartphones that comes with a combination of two high-end cores based on the ARM Cortex-A78 architecture with a maximum clock speed of just 2.0 gigahertz and six low-end cores with up to 1.8 gigahertz based on the ARM Cortex-A55 architecture. As is often the case, Qualcomm does not provide any specific information about the graphics unit, but promises that the chip is capable of recording 1080p videos at 60 FPS, but optionally also 720p videos at 120 frames per second. The display can have a maximum refresh rate of 90 Hertz with FHD+ resolution. This already indicates that it is positioned at the lower end of the performance scale.

1 Gbps 5G modem and WiFi 5 only

This is also evident in the wireless equipment. Although the chip offers a Snapdragon 5G modem, it only achieves a maximum of one gigabit in the downstream in sub-6 GHz networks. The higher-priced chips from Qualcomm’s portfolio achieve up to 10 Gbps and also lack support for mmWave networks. Qualcomm is also reducing the scope of WiFi support. The Snapdragon 4s Gen 2, whose internal model number is SM4635, can only transmit according to the WiFi 5 standard, so it only supports the IEEE 802.11ac and 802.11/a/b/g/n standards.

At least there is dual-band support for 2.4 and 5 GHz networks. The chip also offers Bluetooth 5.1. The Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 is manufactured on a 4-nanometer scale and is extremely modern in this respect, so that in conjunction with the Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ fast charging technology, decent runtimes and short charging times can be achieved. The chip also only supports LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. The first devices with the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 SM4635 are expected to be made available in the coming months. The Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi is the first to do so, and plans to offer the chip in devices for the Indian market, among others.