Qualcomm has been steadily pushing 5G connectivity capabilities to its latest generation of Snapdragon series processors in the past year. The latest to join the family of 5G capable chipsets is the Snapdragon 4-series SoC, which are slated to launch in smartphones in 2021.
At the moment, 5G networks are supported on 6 of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platforms, namely the Snapdragon 865 Plus, Snapdragon 865, Snapdragon 855, Snapdragon 768G, Snapdragon 765 and 765G, Snapdragon 690. Expanding this support to the Snapdragon 4-series SoCs will enable a lot more budget-focused consumers to experience fast 5G networks.
Qualcomm has already announced partnerships with Motorola, OPPO, Xiaomi to begin development of 5G capable smartphones powered by the Snapdragon 4-series SoC. These smartphones are expected to be available commercially sometime in early 2021.
Commenting on the announcement, Cristiano Amon, president, Qualcomm Incorporated said:
Qualcomm continues to pave the way for 5G commercialization at scale, and the expansion of 5G into our Snapdragon 4-series is expected to address regions that currently have approximately 3.5 billion smartphone users combined. The Snapdragon 4-series 5G Mobile Platform is designed to exceed expectations for the mass-market segment by bringing an assortment of predominately high- and mid-tier features to a broader audience. It will deliver on the promise of making 5G accessible to all smartphone users