Affordable 5G Smartphones To Go Mainstream In 2020 With New Qualcomm SoCs

It is known that 5G smartphones are priced at the higher end of the scale. The reasons for the high pricing of these devices include the ability to connect to ultra-fast networks, which is a premium and nice-to-have aspect and the hardware components that make this possible.

But this could also be a roadblock as many people might hesitate to switch from 4G to 5G for this reason. And, this is where the necessity for affordable 5G smartphones come to the play. Though we are years ahead from the launch of budget 5G smartphones, the chipmaker Qualcomm has proven that 5G support need not necessarily raise the pricing of phones.

Why 5G Phones Are Expensive?

Before taking a looking at Qualcomm's recent move, it is important to know why 5G smartphones are expensive. Basically, the 5G phones are priced high because the hardware of these devices and the wireless networks will cost billions. And, this cost has to be borne by the end-users that is the smartphone buyers.

Also, we cannot completely say that there is no affordable smartphone with 5G support in the market. We have the Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro priced at almost half the cost of similar devices from other brands but it has features that do not sell widely for its pricing. However, there is no denying that this move sets an early blueprint for affordable 5G smartphones.

Stage Set For Affordable 5G Phones

With the launch of the new chipsets from Qualcomm, we can soon see affordable 5G smartphones in the market. Well, the chipset took the wraps off three new chipsets with 5G support and these are the Snapdragon 865, Snapdragon 765, and Snapdragon 765G.

Of these, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 is a flagship chipset and it is restricted for the flagship smartphones slated to see the light of the day in 2020. We can expect flagship models from Samsung, LG, OnePlus, etc. to use this high-end chipset. On the other hand, the Snapdragon 765 and 765G chipsets will be used by mid-range smartphones.

When it comes to the big question of how these new chipsets will lower the cost of the 5G smartphones, these have an inbuilt 5G modem. So, there is no necessity for the smartphone makers to shell out an additional cost for the 5G modem. Eventually, the end-users will be free from spending for the same and this paves the way for affordable 5G phones.

What We Think

Besides the high-end models such as Samsung Galaxy S11, Huawei Mate series, etc., there are official confirmations from select brands such as Xiaomi, Realme, and others regarding the launch of 5G smartphones next year. Eventually, this is possible with the new Qualcomm chipsets. We can expect the Redmi K30 5G and the upcoming Realme 5G smartphone among others to use these SoCs.