Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 Launched to Take 5G under $99
Qualcomm just announced a new Snapdragon chip, but instead of breaking performance or download records, its new Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 SoC targets the very low end of the market. According to the American company, the new processor will take gigabit 5G speeds to phones under $99.
We have previously whined complained about new phones launching in 2024 with 4G connectivity, and this new Qualcomm chip is yet another argument to stop releasing new 4G phones. The Snapdragon 4s Gen is not only compatible with the latest 5G networks, it also offers a theoretical 1 gigabit downlink.
While some 4G "Categories" could surpass those speeds, most entry-level chips topped at around 400 or 150 Mbps—LTE Cat 13 and 4, respectively. The Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 promises not only faster downloads but also lower latencies, with improvements of up to 40%, according to the brand.
| Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 (SM4635) |
Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 (SM4450) |
Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 (SM4375) |
Dimensity 6300 (MT6835T) |
Exynos 1330 (S5E8535) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance cores | 2x Cortex-A78 @ 2.0 GHz | 2x Cortex-A78 @ 2.2 GHz | 2x Cortex-A78 @ 2.0 GHz | 2x Cortex-A76 @ 2.4 GHz | 2x Cortex-A78 @ 2.4 GHz |
| Efficiency cores | 6x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz | 6x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0 GHz | 6x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz | 6x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0 GHz | 6x Cortex-A55 @ 1.8 GHz |
| Memory | LPDDR4X-4266 2x 16-bit @ 2133 MHz (17.0 GB/s) |
LPDDR5X-6400 2x 16-bit @ 3200 MHz (25.6 GB/s) |
LPDDR4X-4266 2x 16-bit @ 2133 MHz (17.0 GB/s) |
LPDDR4X-4266 2x 16-bit @ 2133 MHz (17.0 GB/s) |
LPDDR5 |
| GPU | Adreno Vulkan 1.1 |
Adreno Vulkan 1.1 |
Adreno Vulkan 1.1 |
2x Mali-G57 Vulkan 1.1 |
2x ARM Mali-G68 Vulkan 1.2 |
| ISP | Up to 84 MP (Spectra) |
Up to 108 MP (Spectra) |
Up to 108 MP (Spectra) |
Up to 108 MP (Imagiq) |
Up to 108 MP |
| Cellular modem | 5G (sub-6GHz) (Snapdragon) Up to 1050 Mbps |
5G (sub-6GHz) (Snapdragon X61) Up to 2500 Mbps |
5G (sub-6GHz) (Snapdragon X51) Up to 2500 Mpbs |
5G (sub-6GHz) Up to 3300 Mpbs |
5G (sub-6GHz) (Exynos) Up to 2500 Mpbs |
| Wireless connectivity | Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth 5.1 (FastConnect) |
Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth 5.1 (FastConnect) |
Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth 5.2 (FastConnect 6200) |
Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth 5.2 (Filogic) |
Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Manufacturing process | Samsung (4nm-class) | Samsung (4nm-class) | TSMC N6 (6nm-class) | Samsung (5-nm class) | |
Another upgrade in comparison to most 4G-only chips is the adoption of a modern manufacturing process, a 4nm node from Samsung Foundry. The practical result is improved energy efficiency compared to the previous generation chips for the $100 market.
Besides 5G, wireless connectivity is covered by previous generation standards at Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1. Another compromise is on the memory standard, which tops at LPDDR4x-4266 instead of the newer LPDDR5. On the other hand, storage can reach UFS 3.1 which is still plenty fast in 2024, and much improved over the usual eMMC support found in the price range.
Finally, on the computing part, the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 is powered by two ARM Cortex-A78 performance cores at up to 2 GHz and six Cortex-A55 efficiency cores topping at 1.8 GHz. The Adreno GPU and Spectra ISP cores were not specified, but for the latter, there is a limit of 84 megapixels.
For the always-important ISP (image signal processor), Qualcomm is bringing multi-frame noise reduction to the entry-level segment. The feature found in flagship processors for many years now basically combines multiple shots captured to produce a cleaner image, something that is particularly welcome on phones with small or low-resolution sensors.
Qualcomm expects phones powered with the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 to launch "in the coming months", with Xiaomi listed as one of the first partners.
