Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 480 SoC will bring 5G to low-cost phones

While 5G-enabled phones have gained their place as major players in smartphone technology in 2020, access to this latest feature has been limited to high-end phones. But things are about to change, as Qualcomm today announced the development of the Snapdragon 480 5G mobile platform, which is expected to usher in a new wave of low-cost smartphones with cutting-edge features of the latest standard without wire.

5G technology promises higher peak data speeds, very low latency, and greater reliability. With the current crop of 5G-enabled phones hovering above $ 500, expanding 5G to Qualcomm’s Series 4 SoC could pave the way for smartphones priced between $ 125 and $ 250.

The Snapdragon 480 chipset incorporates an X51 modem that supports mmWave and less than 6 GHz bandwidths, ensuring compatibility with almost all 5G networks available today. 5G is not available everywhere, but users in regions offering the technology will see download speeds of 2.5 Gbps and upload speeds of up to 660 Mbps.

Qualcomm says the new 400 series processor will offer key improvements over the previous generation. The Snapdragon 480 is expected to double the speed performance of its predecessor, the Snapdragon 460. Qualcomm credits its 8nm manufacturing process, along with new CPU and GPU elements for improvement. Qualcomm claims that AI tasks will see a 70% improvement over the previous generation.

It will also offer 64-megapixel images and the ability to capture photos from each of the three on-board cameras simultaneously. Three 720p videos can also be captured at the same time.

Other features of the 480 include Bluetooth 5.1 and the adoption of the Charge 4+ standard which will deliver better charging speeds in newer phones.

The announcement of manufacturers using the new processor will be made in the coming months. Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi, Motorola and Nokia are expected to be among the first to adopt.

In a statement issued on Monday, Kedar Kondap, vice president of product management at Qualcomm Technologies, said: “Qualcomm Technologies continues to accelerate the commercialization of 5G globally to make 5G smartphones more accessible, d ‘especially as people around the world continue to connect remotely. The Snapdragon 480 5G Mobile platform will exceed OEM and consumer expectations by providing high and mid-range functionality at an affordable price. “

Qualcomm has led the introduction of 5G technology with a series of platforms introduced early last year. Those platforms included the Snapdragon 854, 765, 750G, and 690. Its new flagship Snapdragon 888 is expected to be unveiled later this month.

Today’s announcement is just the opening salvo of what promises to be a year filled with enhanced and innovative features in an expanding technological field at an explosive rate. According to Review 42, a website dedicated to tech enthusiasts, 5.11 billion mobile phone users worldwide type, swipe and click on their phones an average of 2,617 times per day. Around the world, they say, more people own cell phones than toothbrushes, and they check those phones more than 50 times a day.

In addition to faster and cheaper 5G smartphones in 2021, the new year also promises devices with faster screens, with refresh rates of up to 120 Hz and 144 Hz; under-display cameras to avoid the unsightly lens bumps that populate so many phones today; higher resolution video, video capture up to 8K; and more AR and VR features.

© Science X Network 2021