New Snapdragon Chips from Qualcomm are Announced for Affordable Phones

Immediately following the Snapdragon 8 and 7 Gen 1, we now now have something for low-cost phones. Recent smartphone chipset releases from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 (SD6G1) and 4 Gen 1 (SD4G1), are intended for mid-range and low-cost phones, respectively.

Although Qualcomm has not yet released the complete spec sheet, we do know that the SD4G1 is still using the 6 nm node while the SD6G1 is based on TSMC's 4 nm technology. Both processors feature eight cores, but the main CPU cores of the SD4G1 are limited to 2.0GHz whereas the main CPU cores of the SD6G1 are capable of 2.2GHz. Also unmentioned by Qualcomm are the Adreno GPUs built within the CPUs.

Without mentioning the processor it was compared against, Qualcomm has merely stated that the GPU is 35% more powerful than previously and that computational performance has increased by 40%. Since Qualcomm doesn't make any other 400-series processors, we assume the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 is being compared to the Snapdragon 480/480+ since it has a 15% faster CPU and 10% better GPU.

The 12-bit Spectra Triple image signal processor (ISP) in the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 offers 200MP cameras and native HDR image capture. Additionally, it makes use of the 7th generation Qualcomm AI Engine to enhance overall effectiveness and performance as well as the bokeh effect and other features. It is connected via Wi-Fi 6E and contains a 4th generation Snapdragon X62 5G modem.

The Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 also featured an AI Engine from Qualcomm, however it wasn't the most recent version. This chip's Spectra Triple ISP can handle 108MP cameras and uses Multi-frame Noise Reduction technology to lessen noise. Due to the Snapdragon X51 5G modem, it also supports 5G, but Wi-Fi 6E is not present.

In around three weeks, Vivo's iQOO Z6 Lite will make its Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 debut. Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 smartphones will be released in Q1 2023.

The X62 5G modem, which offers dual standby 5G connectivity and download speeds of up to 4.4 Gbps in both standalone and non-standalone modes, is also included with the SD7G1. It supports Bluetooth 5.3 with Snapdragon Sound and aptX as well as Wi-Fi 6E.

For the Snapdragon 7 family, the Spectra triple ISP adds support for up to 200MP pictures, which is a first. Additionally, there is 10-bit HEIC photo capture with HEVC support and 4K HDR video recording. Another first is the Trusted Management Engine for security.