Qualcomm Launches Snapdragon 480 Chipset For Affordable 5G Devices

Qualcomm has been the pioneer in 5G devices, as we saw the first 5G modem in few selected Snapdragon 855 powered smartphones. Since then, it has launched a series of flagship and upper midrange chipsets with 5G support. Now for the first time, Qualcomm has announced its entry-level series chipset with inbuilt 5G support.

The newly launched Snapdragon 480 is a budget chipset build on an 8 nm process an integrated Snapdragon X51 5G Modem-RF system with support for both mmWave and Sub-6 GHz networks. It is the same modem used in the Snapdragon 690. The Snapdragon 480 CPU packs in powerful custom Kryo 460 performance cores based on the Cortex-A76 clocked at 2.0GHz and power-saving A-55 cores at 1.8 GHz. The Adreno 619 GPU is also a powerful GPU for a budget chipset. With the Qualcomm Hexagon 686, AI tasks will be 70% faster than its predecessor.

Surprisingly, it also supports 120Hz refresh rate displays with FHD+ resolution, 64MP camera sensors, and 1080p recording at 60 fps. Qualcomm's Spectra 345 ISP also supports simultaneous capture from up to three camera sensors. The new chipset also supports SA and NSA 5G modes, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity.

We can expect to see the smartphones rocking this powerful budget chipset from Q1 of 2021. Performance-wise, it has all the best specs as per the budget category. "Qualcomm Technologies continues to accelerate 5G commercialization globally to make 5G smartphones more accessible, especially as people worldwide continue to connect remotely," said Kedar Kondap, Vice President, Product Management, Qualcomm Technologies.