Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 480 chip set to help make 5G phones cheaper

One of the biggest issues with 5G is its impact on phone prices, often increasing the cost of current handsets by around $ 100 or higher compared to standard 4G phones. But with the introduction of its new Snapdragon 480 chip, Qualcomm is looking to make 5G phones much more affordable.

Despite being part of Qualcomm’s entry-level 400 series mobile chip family, the Snapdragon 480 not only supports sub-6 GHz and mmWave 5G, but it also has a high-speed processor. eight cores consisting of two high performance Cortex A76 cores as well as six Cortex A55 cores for increased power efficiency. This means that the Snapdragon 480 could deliver similar performance levels to the Snapdragon 730G chip used in phones like the $ 350 for the Pixel 4a, but with additional support for next-generation cellular networks. It is something that will be of great help to all phone makers looking to create cost effective 5G handsets.

When it comes to wireless connectivity, the Snapdragon 480 uses a built-in X51 modem which Qualcomm claims can achieve download speeds of up to 2.5Gbps or downloads of up to 660Mbps over 5G, or Maximum download speeds of up to 800 Mbps when connected to a regular 4G LTE network. And in addition to 5G, the Snapdragon 480 also supports Bluetooth 5.1 and Wi-Fi 6.

And while it was designed to be an entry-level chip, the Snapdragon 480 can also deliver high-end features that were previously only found on higher-end phones, like support 120 Hz screens (at FHD + resolutions), capturing photos with up to three cameras. to one (up to 13 MP each), triple simultaneous video capture (up to 720p), and even 70% better AI performance compared to the previous Snapdragon 460 chip.

EThe excitement about the new mobile chips can be dampened somewhat even when we talk about flagship SoCs like the next one. Snapdragon 888, But with Qualcomm targeting the Snapdragon 480 chip for use in $ 250 gadgets and several device makers, including Oppo, HMD, and OnePlus, are already pledging to create New devices using the chip, the Snapdragon 480 is about to be a very important piece of silicon.

This is doubly true for the United States, because unlike other countries such as China which rely heavily on the below 6 GHz spectrum for the early deployment of 5G, the major American operators (notably Verizon and AT&T) have has also invested a lot of resources in building its mmWave 5G spectrum. This means that in the United States it will become increasingly critical to have devices in all price ranges that can support both sub-6Ghz and mmWave 5G, especially as we move into the latter part of the year and 2022, when operators will start converting part of their old 3G networks in newer and faster 5G coverage.