Faster memory management, doubling of WiFi channels, faster 5G modem, support for 120Hz screens, 4nm engraving, etc. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 promises improved performance… But also some technological gaps or sacrifices. Sacrificed on the altar of prize?
Entry-level smartphone processors are the ones that make the least noise and are least prone to announcements, yet they are the ones that reach the most people. Like the new Snapdragon 4 Gen 2, an eight-core CPU chip that’s at the bottom of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoC (all-in-one chip) hierarchy.
The “4” series accommodates this, the small poucet of the family does not bring any technological novelty to the processor genre. However, thanks to the technological advances it benefits from, it could significantly increase entry-level terminals with prices below 150 euros. First of all, it’s the delicacy of the engraving: while its predecessor was engraved in 6nm and its predecessor in 8nm, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 (codenamed SM4450) benefits from a Samsung engraving in 4nm. Not premium as TSMC is not responsible is, but Samsung’s 4nm 4LPP is more efficient and consumes less power than TSMC’s 6nm processor. Note that the chip should be more durable than the previous one.
Faster memories
When Qualcomm announces moderate increases on the processor side (increase of +10% on average), the speed of a terminal is not determined solely by this component. Because it’s also heavily influenced by memory… Or rather, BY THE memories. Starting with memory (RAM), which eventually increases from LPDDR4X with 17 GB/s to LPDDR5 with 25.6 GB/s. A further increase in performance can be expected on the storage side, which finally supports the UFS 3.1 flash storage standard on two channels. While the previous UFS 2.2 reached up to a maximum of 600 MB/s per line (up to two lines or 1200 MB/s), UFS 3.1 reaches 1450 MB/s or up to 2900 MB/s.
Also read: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2: Qualcomm just unveiled the flagship processor for high-end smartphones of 2023 (November 2023)
With potentially 50% faster RAM and potentially more than twice as fast storage media, application launches and memory loads are likely to be significantly accelerated. The “potential” here is intended to remind you that of course it depends on the quality of the components surrounding the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2. This remains compatible with the old memory standards. Everything depends on the goodwill of manufacturers and the target audience of the terminals.
In the best of all worlds, everything would be fine if we could continue the list of advances like this. Because while there’s no doubt that the chip has enough in it to power a mobile platform, Qualcomm has also oddly overlooked certain technologies. Even completely removed chip parts, as our colleagues from AnandTech meticulously found out.
Three steps forward, two steps back
The first obvious loss is the third channel of the Spectra image processor (ISP), which only manages two camera modules. An odd cut given the ever-increasing importance of image capture – capture that won’t improve for video as we continue to stick with a 1080p60 encoder/decoder (h264, h265 and VP9 for decoding only). Then the switch from Bluetooth 5.2 of Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 to Bluetooth 5.1 version for our Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 might make us sad. Or even changing Wi-Fi from two to a single antenna. But what is most shocking is the disappearance (there is no other word) of the Hexagon DSP, which is the part of the chip that speeds up the AI algorithms. While all chips of all series together try to advance in this area, this new processor returns to the “old world” where its CPU and GPU parts will do the work… For higher power consumption.
Perhaps Qualcomm saw from its partners that the AI capabilities weren’t very important to the target audience. And preferred to speed up the performance of the platform while maintaining (or even lowering) the price of the chip. In any case, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 should not inspire dreams, but ensure that cheap end devices are motorized as quickly as possible. With probably priority markets like India or China, the two big countries that Qualcomm mentioned in its presentation. Redmi and Vivo are named as the first partners to launch terminals equipped with this chip later this year.
Source: Anand Tech