3G was considered a luxury for a long time, but then 4G came along and changed the landscape of the telecom industry. But there have been reservations about 5G being affordable and accessible by the masses. While the telecom operators are still preparing to offer 5G connectivity to their users, there are phones and chipsets already getting ready for the big change. But 5G support has only been reserved to premium smartphones and Qualcomm changes that with new chipset.
Qualcomm, which powers majority smartphones, revealed its latest SoC in the Snapdragon 600 series. The new chipset is designed for mid-range smartphones and the biggest highlight of the Snapdragon 690 is that it comes with 5G support. This means 5G will be made available to the masses in the sub-$500 category.
"This new platform is designed to make 5G user experiences even more broadly available around the world. Snapdragon 690 also supports remarkable on-device AI and vibrant entertainment experiences," Qualcomm said in a statement.
Qualcomm said that smartphones with its new chipset will be available in the market in the second half of the year. Moreover, the US chipset maker confirmed that HMD Global, LG, and Motorola would be among the first ones to launch their phones with the new chipset.
Snapdragon 690: What's new?
Besides 5G, Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 will support 4K HDR at up to 192MP, higher refresh rates of up to 120Hz, 5th gen Qualcomm AI engine, which enables the smart camera and video, voice translation, advanced AI-based imaging, AI-enhanced gaming experience.
By adding 5G connectivity, OEMs will be able to deliver better cloud-based gaming experience, multi-player games anytime and anywhere.
"We stand in a customer's shoes and ask some fundamental issues like who is the target market, how much will the device cost and what are the key features and then we waterfall these features from the higher tiers into the lower tiers, so that we can cover all the segments and meet our consumer needs," Deepu John, Senior Director, Product Management at Qualcomm, said in a statement.
