You might have noticed that phones keep getting more expensive. But Qualcomm is trying to change that for budget shoppers. The company just announced two new processors designed for more affordable devices.
These chips should start showing up in phones from brands like HONOR, Redmi, OPPO, vivo, Xiaomi, and realme by the end of this year or early 2027.
The first chip is called the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5. It is the stronger of the two. Qualcomm says its graphics are 21 percent better than the previous version. It also comes with a feature called Smooth Motion UI. This makes your phone feel quicker in everyday use. According to Qualcomm, apps will open 20 percent faster, and the screen will stutter 18 percent less when you scroll.
This chip also includes some camera improvements. For example, there is an Intelligent Night Vision tool that helps you take clearer photos in the dark. You can also zoom in digitally up to 100 times using AI. On the connectivity side, the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 works with sub-6GHz 5G networks, but not the faster mmWave kind. It does support the latest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.0. There is also a new feature that helps you find lost earbuds or speakers using your phone.
The second chip is the Snapdragon 4 Gen 5. This one is for even cheaper phones. But the improvements here are actually bigger in some ways. Qualcomm says the graphics are 77 percent faster than the older model. The Smooth Motion UI also works on this chip. App launches are 43 percent quicker, and screen stutter is down by 25 percent. For the first time on a 4-series chip, you can play games at 90 frames per second.
Another new addition for the cheaper chip is Dual SIM Dual Active. This lets your phone use data from two different SIM cards and two different networks at the same time.
To save money, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 uses older wireless standards. It only has Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1, but it still supports sub-6GHz 5G.
Take note that while Qualcomm’s chips can do all these things does not mean every phone will have them. It is up to the phone makers to actually include those features in the final product. So far, no company has announced a specific phone using these new chips. But Qualcomm says the first models should arrive later this year or early next year.