Last Updated on June 27, 2023
US chipmaker Qualcomm has launched Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 (S4G2), its next-generation chipset for budget devices. The entry-level SoC will modestly boost performance for affordable smartphones which will be released later this year. Find out its top features and which phones will use it first.
Most importantly, Qualcomm says the S4G2 will improve CPU performance by 10% due to its higher core clock speeds. The chipset uses a 2+6 CPU core setup as its predecessor, Snapdragon 4 Gen 1. It consists of 2 Cortex-A78-derived Kryo CPU cores paired with 6 Cortex-A55-derived cores. The A78 cores clock up to 2.2 GHz and the A55 core runs to 2.0 GHz.
Likewise, for the memory, the chipset gets LPDDR5 support up to LPDDR5-6400 speeds. It has a memory bandwidth of 25.6 GB/second with LPDDR5, 50% more than what S4G1 afforded.
On the storage side, the budget SoC supports UFS 3.1. As its more efficient than UFS 2.2, devices would expect a theoretical file transfer of 2.9 GB/second. This should also mean the nearing exit of the legacy eMMC storage support.
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Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 will support two cameras but deliver better performance
For the optics, Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 will only support dual cameras. And the Spectra ISPs are similar to Qualcomm stuck with the 12-bit designs. The chipset might support 16+16 MP cameras. But no worry. Despite less camera support, the company promises better performance. Qualcomm says the chipset provides faster autofocus and comes with a better image stabilization feature. It also enhances the “AI low light” feature and multi-camera temporal filtering (MCTF) has been integrated for noise reduction.
Like its predecessor, S4G2 brings Quick Charge 4+ support, which Qualcomm claims will juice up the battery to 50% in 15 minutes. USB 3.2 Gen 1 is also included with support for up to 5 Gbps data transfer speed.
Also read: Qualcomm Unveils Snapdragon Satellite for Android Devices
5G support
Despite its entry-level profile, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC brings with it the support for 5G connectivity. It has X61 5G Modem-RF system. So, it should offer pretty fast speeds for a large spectrum of networks. It should be helpful for moderate gaming, streaming, video conferencing, etc. For wireless connectivity has brought in it WiFi 5 support. It should be disappointing not to see support for more modern WiFi standard support. However, it could be a compensating factor for 5G and cost-cutting.
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Likewise, the chipset doesn’t get Bluetooth upgraded with it. The S4G2 only gets WiFi 5 support at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. And there is Bluetooth 5.1 with aptX for audio is included.
Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 will come in smartphones in the second half of the year. Reportedly, Xiaomi, Redmi, and vivo will be the early ones to adopt entry-level chipsets.
