Qualcomm is working to bring 5G connectivity to low-end devices with its new Snapdragon 480 chipset.
The Snapdragon 480 marks the first time Qualcomm will ship a 5G-capable 4-series system-on-a-chip (SoC). Along with 5G, Qualcomm promises the 480 will offer high- and mid-tier features at an affordable price.
First up, the 480 sports Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X51 Modem-RF system with support for mmWave, Sub-6 in standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) modes, Time Division Duplexing (TDD), Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS). These technologies enable high-speed, multi-gigabit connections, although Qualcomm didn’t share what speed users could expect from the 480.
Additionally, the Snapdragon 480 includes the Qualcomm FastConnect 6200 with 2×2 Wi-Fi antennas, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 and more.
On the performance side, the Snapdragon 480 is based on an 8nm process and sports a Qualcomm Kryo 460 CPU, Qualcomm Adreno 619 GPU and Qualcomm Hexagon 686 processors for handling AI performance. The 480 features Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ for the first time in a 4-series SoC.
The 480 utilizes Qualcomm’s Spectra 345 image signal processor (ISP) that supports up to three cameras with simultaneous capture for photo bugs. Qualcomm says the Spectra 345 can handle three 13-megapixel photo captures from an ultra-wide, wide and telephoto camera simultaneously or capture three 720p videos simultaneously.
Finally, the Snapdragon 480 will enable FHD+ screens with up to 120fps rendering for high refresh rate displays. There’s Qualcomm aptX audio as well for enhanced audio playback.
Qualcomm expects the first commercial devices powered by the Snapdragon 480 to arrive in early 2021.