Qualcomm will announce a budget 5G chipset at tomorrow’s ‘Snapdragon for India’ event and Evan Blass may have just spoiled the surprise – here are the details for the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2. This is a lower power, cheaper version of the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 from last year.
This is still a 4nm chip with an octa-core CPU (two Cortex-A78 plus six A55), but with the clock speeds dialed back by 200MHz. The GPU presumably took a step back as well. Also, only 2,133MHz LPDDR4X RAM is supported (the non-s model can also use 5X at 3,200MHz). In terms of performance, this should slot in somewhere between the original Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 and the 4 Gen 2, but it should have better efficiency than the Gen 1 chip.
Another noticeable change is that the display support is down to 90Hz refresh rate at FHD+ resolution. This is aimed at cheaper phones, so they will either use HD+ displays at 120Hz or FHD+ at 90Hz. The dual ISP can no longer support 108MP image sensors too, so manufacturers will likely settle at 50MP or 64MP.
| Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 | Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Process | 6nm (TSMC) | 4nm | 4nm |
| CPU | 2x A78 @ 2.0GHz + 6x A55 @ 1.8GHz | 2x A78 @ 2.2GHz + 6x A55 @ 2.0GHz | 2x A78 @ 2.0GHz + 6x A55 @ 1.8GHz |
| GPU | Adreno 619 | Adreno 613 | Adreno |
| RAM | LPDDR4x 2,133MHz | LPDDR5x 3,200MHz | LPDDR4x 2,133MHz |
| Storage | UFS 2.2 | UFS 3.1 (2-lane) | UFS 3.1 (2-lane) |
| Display | Up to FHD+ @ 120fps | Up to FHD+ @ 120fps | Up to FHD+ @ 90Hz |
| ISP | Triple | Dual (12-bit) | Dual (12-bit) |
| Camera | up to 108MP | up to 108MP, up to 32MP Zero Shutter Lag | Up to 84MP, up to 32MP Zero Shutter Lag |
| Video | up to 1080p @ 60fps | up to 1080p @ 60fps, EIS | up to 1080p @ 60fps |
| Modem | X51 (2.5Gpbs down, 800Mbps up) | X61 (Rel. 16, 2.5Gpbs down, 900Mbps up) | up to 1Gbps down |
| Local | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1 (aptX) | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1 (aptX) | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.1 (aptX) |
| USB | 3.2 Gen 1 | 3.2 Gen 1 | 3.2 Gen 1 |
| Charging | Quick Charge 4+ | Quick Charge 4+ | Quick Charge 4+ |
This is an affordable 5G chipset, but its 5G capabilities have been scaled back compared to the 4 Gen 2 and the downlink speed is limited to 1Gbps (down from 2.5Gbps). Whether there is a tangible difference in daily use is another matter. Local connectivity is relatively limited with support for the older Wi-Fi 5 (ac) and Bluetooth 5.1 standards, but the same applies to the 4 Gen 2 (these are 4-series chips, after all).
The chip still features the Qualcomm Audio and Voice Communication suite and can stream music at 96kHz. It has multi-frame noise reduction and EIS for the camera, plus dual-frequency reception for global positioning.
Check back tomorrow to see if Qualcomm officially confirms these details. Also, tomorrow’s event promises “two historic announcements” – one is almost certainly the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2, the other is anyone’s guess.
Deepak Sen is a tech enthusiast who covers the latest technological innovations, from AI to consumer gadgets. His articles provide readers with a glimpse into the ever-evolving world of technology.
