Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 Launched, Smartphones Coming H2 2023

Qualcomm unveiled a new budget smartphone chipset on Monday called the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2. This budget smartphone SoC is 5G enabled and is expected to power smartphones under Rs 20,000. Smartphones powered by the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 are expected to hit the markets sometime in the second half of the year.

The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 succeeds the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1, and is the first chip in the series to be compliant with the improved 3GPP Release 16 version of 5G. Another first for the series is that the chip is the first to be binned on a 4nm Samsung process.

To compare, the previous Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 was fabbed on a 6nm TSMC process, so the 4nm process node is expected to improve power efficiency, if nothing else. Turns out, a lot more has improved. Let's take a look.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 2: Features and Specifications

The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 has a new CPU architecture with two performance cores clocked at 2.2GHz along with six efficiency cores clocked at 2.0 GHz. Qualcomm promises a 10% performance upgrade compared to the predecessor. The company did not disclose the GPU details, while the display support is going to remain the same with support FHD+ panels at 120Hz refresh rate.

However, the new chip can support faster LPDDR5X RAM modules going up to 3200MHz speeds. The chip also supports up to UFS 3.2 2-lane flash storage.

The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 features a dual-ISP along with a new Multi-Camera Temporal Filtering for improved noise reduction in videos. Video capture remains restricted to 1080p at 60 FPS. It can support 720p slo-mo videos at 120FPS. The chip also supports EIS for smartphones, along with up to 108MP cameras or up to 32MP with zero shutter lag.

The chipset supports up to Quick Charge 4+ and can fill a battery to 50% in 15 minutes, with support USB 3.2 Gen 1 speeds.

The chipset brings onboard the Snapdragon X61 5G modem that supports the 3GPP Release 16 5G standards improving coverage and makes cell-based location more accurate. It also supports WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1 with aptX.

The first set of smartphones with Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 is expected to come in the second half of the year. The first to launch a smartphone with the chipset will be Xiaomi and Vivo.