Qualcomm brings 5G to 4-series chips with Snapdragon 480 mobile platform

Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 5G mobile platform will power future Nokia, Oppo, and Vivo phones.

The Snapdragon 480 5G Mobile Platform offers the most advanced 4-series capabilities to date (REUTERS)

Qualcomm on late Monday announced the launch of Snapdragon 480 5G mobile platform. It is the first time Qualcomm is offering 5G capabilities on its 4-series SoCs, which will power several budget and mid-range phones in 2021. HMD Global, Oppo and Vivo have already committed to launching phones with the new 5G chip.

Apart from 5G capabilities, Qualcomm's new chip also brings various upgrades. In the connectivity department, it is equipped with 2x2 Wi-Fi (dual Wi-Fi antennas) with a set of key Wi-Fi 6 features, such as 8x8 sounding with multi-user MIMO, for significant range and performance improvements, in addition to Bluetooth 5.1 and advanced wireless audio capabilities. It also supports dual-frequency GPS and NavIC for location positioning.

It also brings up to 120fps full HD+ display support. Other gaming and streaming focused features are Qualcomm aptX audio, HD content streaming, and faster app load times.

You can also expect Snapdragon 480-powered phones to deliver better performance and battery life. The chipset is based on 8nm process and comes with Kryo 460 CPU with up to 2.0 GHz, Qualcomm Adreno 619 GPU, and Qualcomm Hexagon 686 Processor. Qualcomm claims the chip offers up to 100% improvement in CPU and GPU departments. On the AI performance front, it has been improved to up to 70%. Note the comparison is with the previous generation, Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 mobile platform.

In the camera department, it comes with Qualcomm Spectra 345 ISP, which is the company's first triple ISP in the 4-series of mobile platforms. It supports up to triple 13-megapixel camera sensors, including ultra-wide, wide and telephoto. It can also shoot triple 720p videos 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, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “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.”