The chip will enable $ 300 to $ 500 5G phones from LG, Motorola and others.
Qualcomm on Tuesday introduced the newest 5G chip in its lineup, and is targeted at cheaper smartphones.
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| Qualcomm brings 5G to cheap phones with Snapdragon 690 process |
The processor, called Snapdragon 690, is the first time Qualcomm has offered 5G which is towards the lower-end of its smartphone chip backup. It had 5G modems for premium smartphones from 2016 onwards (although they did not appear on the device until a few years later), and was followed up with a processor for mid-range devices late last year. Those devices have not come cheap.
The Galaxy S10 5G - introduced last year - cost $ 1,299, while the regular S10 debuted at $ 900. The new 5G premium phones are a bit expensive (the Galaxy S20 starts at $ 999 earlier this year), but they are still not accessible to everyone. The price of Qualcomm's 7-series chips coming into the phone this year will be significantly reduced, but it is the 6-series that becomes affordable for many.
Phones based on the Snapdragon 690 will be priced in the $ 300 to $ 500 range when they launch later this year, and they will include some of the features normally found only in premium devices. By comparison, Apple's new iPhone SE, which runs only on 4G networks, starts at $ 399. The Snapdragon 690 will appear in cheaper phones from companies such as Nokia handset maker HMD, LG, Motorola, Sharp and TCL, which sells phones under Alcatel and TCL branding.
Dipu John, senior director of product management at Qualcomm, said, "We want to bring more key experiences ... billions - things like immersive camera experiences, intensive and interactive gaming, [and] fast-responding AI voice assistants." Talk to reporters ahead of company news.
5G is the new, super-fast wireless technology operating worldwide. It lives in many major cities in the US as well as locations in China, South Korea and other countries in the UK. Technology is set to change our way of living and everything from self-driving cars to augmented reality experiences is expected to power.
It was believed that the year 5G became mainstream. But the proliferation of novel coronaviruses has raised doubts as to how the technology will be widely used this year. The new coronovirus, which causes a disease called COVID-19, was first discovered at the end of last year in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Since that time, it has become a full-blown epidemic, infecting more than 8.1 million people worldwide. The outbreak has forced the release of coronaviruses in cities and entire countries around the world to lockout, shuttering stores, cancel events and help citizens stay home.
As a result, smartphone shipments saw their biggest drop in February, as the novel Coronavirus devastated China, one of the world's largest markets and an important manufacturing hub. And sales should be down 10 years this year.
Cheap 5G Phone
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| 5G Mobile Phone |
While the epidemic has hurt phone sales in places like the US, Qualcomm, Swedish networking gear maker Ericsson, and others, it has said that it will not stop the expansion of 5G worldwide in the coming years. Phones must have equipment. Nevertheless, those looking at their spending can increasingly opt for cheaper devices, such as those enabled by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 690.
The Snapdragon 690 includes 4K HDR support for capturing over a billion colors and shooting photos up to 192 megapixels. It also supports 120Hz display for faster refresh rates and smoother scrolling. The Snapdragon 690 comes with Qualcomm's latest AI engine for smart cameras, voice translation, AI-based imaging, and AI-enhanced gaming.
The processor also packs in Qualcomm's new X51 5G modem, which gives multigabit speeds. The modem can download data up to 2.5Gbps over 5G networks and 1.2Gbps over 4G LTE. And its upload speed is 660Mbps over 5G and 210Mbps over LTE.
It only supports a flavor of 5G. The X51 only runs on lower-band airwaves, not the ultra-fast millimeter wave network favored by carriers such as Verizon. Those lower bands have been favored in places like China and Europe, as well as US carriers such as T-Mobile.
"There is no doubt about our commitment to the millimeter wave and making it ubiquitous," Kedar Kondap, vice president of product management, told reporters during a conversation. "This is all a function of time ... and is a priority right now."
While the Snapdragon 690 will push 5G into a less expensive phone, it is not the lowest chip lineup offered by Qualcomm. The company also offers its 4-series and 2-series processors, which do not yet have 5G. No timeline has been given as to when new wireless technology will arrive for those processor families.
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