Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 SoC Expands Its 5G Reach To More Budget Smartphones

As you might expect, Qualcomm is billing the Snapdragon 480 as its most advanced 4-Series SoC to-date, and it is built on an 8nm process node. Running the show is a Kryo 460 CPU that is paired with an Adreno 619 GPU, while a Hexagon 686 processor is tasked with handling AI-intensive operations. Qualcomm quotes up to a 100 percent uplift in CPU/GPU performance along with a still impressive 70 percent boost in AI performance over outgoing 4-Series SoCs.

Perhaps the most important piece to the entry-level SoC puzzle, however, is the inclusion of an integrated Snapdragon X51 5G modem. Despite being part of the "lowly" 4-Series family, the modem support both sub-6GHz and mmWave 5G bands, however, it will be up to the device manufacturers to support the latter. Given that the Snapdragon 480 will be going into price-sensitive devices, we have the feeling that many manufacturers will not opt for this support. With that being said, the Snapdragon X51 can support maximum (5G) downlink and uplink speeds of 2.5Gbps and 660Mbps respectively.

Other features of the Snapdragon 480 include support for Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1, Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+, and displays with resolutions up to 2520x1080 @ 120Hz. Also supported are triple 13MP cameras, and you'll be able to capture from all three simultaneously. 

“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, Qualcom vice president, product management. “The Snapdragon 480 5G Mobile Platform will exceed OEM’s and consumer’s expectations in delivering high-and mid-tier features at an affordable price.”

According to Qualcomm, the first smartphone using the Snapdragon 480 5G Mobile Platform will arrive during Q1 2021.