Last year was a significant one for the mobile industry as chip manufacturers such as MediaTek, Qualcomm, and UNISOC announced 5G chipsets that helped phone manufacturers bring affordable 5G smartphones to the market. This year is expected to be no different, and Qualcomm has decided to take the lead with a new 5G chipset, the Snapdragon 480 5G.
The Snapdragon 480 5G is a significant chipset not only for Qualcomm but also for the mobile industry at large. The Snapdragon 400 series is known to power phones and tablets in the ~$150 category, and with this new chipset, it means we should expect 5G phones that can be bought for less than $150 to hit markets soon.
Snapdragon 480 5G specs
- Part number – SM4350
- Process – 8nm
- CPU – Kryo 460 octa-core processor clocked at 2.0GHz
- GPU – Adreno 619; OpenGL ES 3.2, Vulkan 1.1, Open CL 2.0
- Modem – Snapdragon X51 5G with support for sub-6GHz and mmWave
- Wi-Fi – 802.11a/b/g/n, 802.11ax-ready (Wi-Fi 6), 802.11ac Wave 2; 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands
- Bluetooth – Bluetooth 5.1
- Qualcomm FastConnect – Qualcomm FastConnect 6200
- Location – Beidou, Galileo, GLONASS, Dual-frequency GNSS, NavIC, GPS, GNSS, QZSS, SBAS
EDITOR’S PICK: MediaTek dethrones Qualcomm to become biggest Smartphone chipset vendor in Q3 2020
The Snapdragon 480 5G is an 8nm octa-core processor. The shift to a smaller node size from the 11nm mode of the Snapdragon 460 will bring improvements in efficiency and power management. Qualcomm says the Kryo 460 CPU and Adreno 619 GPU each bring an improvement of over 100% over its predecessor.
The processor has a Snapdragon X51 5G modem that brings support for sub-6Ghz and mmWave networks and both SA and NSA modes. The chipset is also Wi-Fi 6-ready and boasts connectivity speeds that reach up to 9.6 Gbps. It also has support for WPA3 security protocols.
The Snapdragon 480 5G has a Spectra 345 image signal processor that supports a single camera up to 64MP. The ISP allows for simultaneous capturing from all three (wide, ultrawide, and telephoto) cameras. It also supports HEIF photo capture and HEVC video capture. Support for FHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate combined with Qualcomm aptX audio means that users can enjoy smooth gaming with great audio. The Hexagon 686 inside the processor brings a 70% improvement in AI performance compared to the previous generation. And last but not the least, Qualcomm states that the chipset also supports Quick Charge 4+.
HMD Global, OnePlus, and OPPO to launch Snapdragon 480 5G phones
The official press release for the chipset revealed that HMD Global, the current licensee for Nokia-branded smartphones will announce a smartphone powered by the chipset. Chinse manufacturers, OPPO and OnePlus, have also confirmed they will launch phones with the Snapdragon 480 5G inside.
The first set of Snapdragon 480 5G phones are expected to arrive early this year.
UP NEXT: Mysterious Motorola Ibiza 5G phone with unannounced Snapdragon 4-series could be coming soon
