Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 silicon for budget 5G phones

As part of the Snapdragon for India initiative, the US-based semiconductor major Qualcomm on Tuesday (July 30) unveiled the new 5G phone chipset Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 in New Delhi.

The new Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 processor can enable budget phones to support premium features including high-speed internet, faster display refresh rate, the latest camera hardware, long-lasting battery life and more.

“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. By balancing affordability and strong performance with all-day battery life, we are enabling widespread access to 5G for a smoother transition for consumers looking to upgrade 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,” said Chris Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile handsets, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Snapdragon 4s Gen 2: Key features you should know about Qualcomm's latest silicon

-- With the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 chipset, budget phones will be able to support premium full HD+ (2220 x 1080p) display with up to 90hz refresh rate. This will help in offering a smoother web browsing experience. With a better and brighter display panel, users will be able to read e-books for long hours without straining the eye.

-- 64-bit architecture-based Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 comes with eight CPU cores- two performance cores with up to 2.0Ghz CPU speed and six efficiency cores with up to 1.8GHz CPU speed

-- Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 comes integrated with Qualcomm Spectra ISP (Image Signal Processing) unit, Multi-Frame Noise Reduction capability and Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS). These features ensure the camera gets good photos in all light conditions. Also, the video quality will be sharp and stable even with shaky hands.

--Devices with Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 will be able to capture up to 84MP resolution photos and record full HD videos (1080p) at 60 fps (frames per second)

--Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 will enable budget phones to support faster charging. It will support Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+, meaning the device will be able to charge from zero to 50 per cent capacity in under 15 minutes.

The new Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+.

-- Smartphones with Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 will be able to support LPDDR4x RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. It will be able to transfer data at speeds of up to 10 gigabits per second (Gbps).

-- Devices will be able to support Type-C USB 3.2 port gen 1, with up to 5Gbps data transfer speed

-- With a new 5G modem, the budget phones will be able to support high-speed internet data up to 1Gbps.

-- The new Snapdragon 4s Gen comes integrated with dual-frequency NavIC (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System) chipset. It offers a positioning accuracy of three metres, depending on the signal strength and availability of satellites. GPS on the current crop of phones offer a positioning accuracy of five metres.

--The new Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 supports Wi-Fi 5 for better internet connectivity at home and the office.

-- The new Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 supports Bluetooth 5.1 for stable connectivity with accessories such as earphones or smart watches or nearby Android phones

-- Xiaomi has confirmed to bring the first Snapdragon 4s Gen 2-powered phone in India later this year

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