Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 And 4 Gen 1 SoCs To Add Flagship Features To Low-Cost Phones

Qualcomm has established itself as one of the prominent players in the mobile chipset space. Its Snapdragon mobile processors are quite popular with smartphone OEMs as well as potential buyers. Recently, Qualcomm released a new chipset series called the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 for premium smartphones. Soon after Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processors for premium mid-tier Android phones.

Now, the company is expanding this line-up to the budget and mid-range segment with the launch of the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 and the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chipset series. Let's get into the details of the new Qualcomm SoCs for smartphones.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1, Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 Chipset

Starting with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 chipset, this processor is designed for entry-level and budget Android handsets. This latest processor will succeed the last year's Snapdragon 480 Plus processor. The SD 4 Gen 1 is said to offer over 10 per cent improved GPU and 15 per cent better CPU performance compared to the SD 480 Plus.

It's likely that Qualcomm might replace the existing Snapdragon 400 series with the newer chipset. The brand is yet to share the entire architecture details but has revealed some details including the fabrication process, i.e. 6nm and a 64-bit Kyro CPU with a 2GHz clock speed.

The processor will get Adreno GPU support; however, the exact version is not yet announced.
Moving on, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 chipset has the Vulkan version- 1.1, the OpenGL ES version- 3.2, and also has the OpenCL 2.0 API support. The processor will be compatible with LPDDR4X RAM support with up to 2133MHz frequency. The storage support with this processor has eMMC 5.1 and UFS 2.2 support.

The Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 is devoid of 5G network connectivity, which suggests that devices powered by this CPU will be very affordable and will mostly focus on bringing feature phone users to the smartphone platform.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 Chipset

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 processor is built on a 4nm fabrication processor and will succeed the Snapdragon 695 5G processor. The octa-core 5G chipset gets Kyro CPU with up to 2.2GHz clock speed. The GPU integrated is unspecified. But similar to its sibling, there will be an Adreno series GPU. This chipset will come with a 1.1 Vulkan version, OpenGL ES 3.2 version, and OpenCL 2.0 FP API.

The SD 6 Gen 1 CPU supports LPDDR5, suggesting smooth multitasking performance. The new chipset will support a maximum 12GB RAM capacity with a 2750MHz clock speed. The storage compatibility with this mid-range Qualcomm chipset is UFS 3.1. Qualcomm has integrated the Snapdragon X62 5G modem for sub-6GHz 5G connectivity. The chipset also has Qualcomm Fast Connect 6700 system that allows for Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 compatibility.

Smartphones Powered By New Qualcomm Chipsets

As per Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1-powered smartphones should be commercially available in the first quarter of 2023, while devices based on the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 will most likely hit the markets in the third quarter of 2022.

The iQOO Z6 Lite 5G will be one of the first devices globally to be powered by the new Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 Mobile Platform. It will flaunt a 120Hz refresh rate panel and will boast a 50MP rear camera. Running on Android 12, the handset will draw power from a beefier 5,000mAh battery cell.

The 5G smartphone is set to launch on 14th September 2022 in India and will be available for purchase on Amazon.in and iQOO.com.

Motorola has also confirmed to launch a Snapdragon 6 Gen 1-powered mid-range or value flagship smartphone in the start of the year 2023.