Qualcomm's Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 Mobile Platform is an updated version of its value tier system-on-a-chip that's intended to expand the availability and affordability of 5G-enabled phones worldwide, while at the same time bumping up performance across the board.
Starting with the Kryo CPU, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 relies on two performance cores clocked up to 2.2GHz and six efficiency cores clocked up to 2GHz, delivering 10% better speeds compared to the 4 Gen 1.
Qualcomm says the chip uses a 4nm process. It includes an unspecified Adreno GPU that features hardware-accelerated H.265 and VP9 decoders and can handle LPDDR5X RAM at up to 3,200MHz. The SoC supports Quick Charge 4+ for faster battery top-ups. Qualcomm claims phones will be able to refill their batteries by up to 50% in just 15 minutes. The chip can handle FHD+ displays with refresh rates up to 120Hz for smoother scrolling.
Qualcomm made targeted improvements to the Spectra image signal processor for better photography and videography on mass-market phones. Qualcomm says the chip supports dual-camera systems with two sensors up to 16MP each, or single-camera systems with sensors up to 32MP. It can capture a single 1080p video stream at up to 60fps or two 1080p video streams at 30fps. Slow-motion video capture is possible at 720p at up to 120fps.
As for photo/video codecs, it can handle HEIC, H.264, and H.265 capture for more efficient storage. New AI algorithms will help generate sharper photos, particularly in darker scenes, with less background noise.
The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 includes the Snapdragon X61 5G Modem-RF System, which packs standalone and non-standalone sub-6GHz 5G with peak download speeds up to 2.5Gbps and upload speeds up to 900Mbps. Some of the onboard features include 4x4 MIMO, dynamic spectrum sharing, 5G PowerSave, AI-enhanced signal boosting, and global support for dual-5G SIMs. Other radios include Wi-Fi 5 (but not Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E) with enterprise-grade security, Bluetooth 5.1 (with aptX), and dual-band GNSS for better location tracking.
"With this generational advancement in the Snapdragon 4-series, consumers will have greater access to the most popular and relevant mobile features and capabilities," said Matthew Lopatka, director of product management, Qualcomm Technologies.
The company expects to see uptake by phone makers in China and India and highlighted Redmi's commitment to bringing devices with the chip to market during the second half of 2023.