Tech Desk
Jul 30, 2024
Qualcomm, known for designing and manufacturing semiconductors and wireless telecommunications products, today unveiled its new chipset, Snapdragon 4s Gen 2.
The entry-level chip aims to make 5G accessible to 2.8 billion mobile device users in a price-sensitive market, involving India and Latin America.
Qualcomm has struggled to entice feature phone buyers in India. Originally, due to a lack of 5G models in the sub-$100 segment. According to IDC (Internet Data Center), this entry-level segment in the Indian mobile market declined by 14% year-on-year to 15% share, with 5.1 million mobile phone units transported in the first quarter.
Read more: Qualcomm launches Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 chipset
Qualcomm’s target is to fill the gap in the entry-level smartphone segment with this new chip. Xiaomi will release its first device featured with the 4s Gen 2 chip in India later this year, the chipmaker confirmed.
What is Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 chip?
The Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 chip is a feature-restricted version of the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2, released last year. Based on the 4nm process technology, the new chip integrates an octa-core Kryo CPU, which is comprised of two performance cores that support up to 2GHz clock speed and six efficiency cores at up to 1.8GHz.
Moreover, the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 lacks support for 5G networks in the non-standalone 5G deployment mode, which is currently broad and lets telcos provide high-speed connectivity using their existing network assets. The new chip instead supports connectivity through the standalone 5G deployment.
IDC Asia/Pacific Associate Research Director Kiranjeet Kaur stated: “Some concerns remain — what is the benefit to this user to migrate to 5G, the additional cost for device/plan, or any compromises he needs to make in the smartphone feature set to have a lower-priced 5G smartphone?”
“But I do think more support from the component side will help OEMs and also drive more competition in the lower price segment to build some momentum here,” Kaur added.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm doesn't launch new versions of its less powerful chips on an annual basis, the 4S Gen 2 provides phone makers another option with the latest features for lower-cost devices.
