Qualcomm followed through on a promise to offer 5G capabilities in its lower-tier silicon, detailing a Snapdragon 480 chipset meant to extend the technology to cheaper handsets.

Platform highlights include a Snapdragon X51 5G modem compatible with both mmWave and sub-6GHz spectrum in standalone and non-standalone modes, offering a peak download speed of 2.5Gb/s; Kryo 460 CPU and Adreno 619 GPU, which each provide a 100 per cent performance boost compared to the Snapdragon 460 chipset; and Spectra 345 ISP enabling image capture from up to three cameras at once.

Snapdragon 480 also includes an updated Qualcomm AI Engine offering a 70 per cent performance improvement over the Snapdragon 460; support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+; and Qualcomm FastConnect 6200 with Wi-Fi 6-ready and Bluetooth 5.1 capabilities.

Kedar Kondap, Qualcomm VP of product management, stated the new chipset would help deliver “high- and mid-tier features at an affordable price.”

The company noted the first commercial devices based on Snapdragon 480 are due in “early 2021”, highlighting backing from device vendors OnePlus, Oppo, Vivo and HMD Global.

In September 2020, Qualcomm president Cristiano Amon stated the chipset would power devices priced between $125 and $250.