Snapdragon 4 Gen 2: Entry level 4nm processor for budget smartphones

Nearly a year ago, Qualcomm debuted the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 processor, which has seen found its way onto bang-for-buck budget smartphones such as the Redmi Note 12 5G. Qualcomm has now announced its successor, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2, which they say will deliver unprecedented accessibility to entry level devices.

The biggest notable improvement the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 delivers compared to its predecessor is a switch away from the 6nm TSMC process node to the 4nm process fabbed by Samsung. It’s the first time a system-on-chip in the Snapdragon 4 series is built on the 4nm platform, which should offer improved efficiency over the last generation silicon. The new processor will also finally support UFS 3.1 storage, up from the UFS 2.2 standard that the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 maxed out at, as well as support for LPDDR5 memory, up from LPDDR4X memory support only.

Its key guts though remain mostly the same, with a Kyro CPU packing two Cortex-A78 performance cores running at 2.2GHz and six Cortex-A55 efficiency cores running at 2.0GHz. All of its cores run 200MHz faster than the ones on the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1, which Qualcomm claims will allow for up to 10% better CPU performance. Curiously, Qualcomm didn’t mention any performance numbers for the unnamed Adreno GPU in the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2, but it will still support device displays pushing a FHD+ display at a 120Hz refresh rate.

In the photography and videography department meanwhile, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 packs a Qualcomm Spectra image signal processor that can support up to 108MP photo capture and up to 1080p 60FPS video capture, as well as concurrent multi-camera photo and video capture. There’s improved autofocus capabilities, noise and blur reduction along with along with AI-enhanced low light. However, Qualcomm has seemingly removed support for a third camera, meaning Snapdragon 4 Gen 2-powered devices might only come with up to two cameras though at this price point smartphones typically reserve all its camera chops for the main camera only anyway.

Other features of note include a new Snapdragon X61 5G Modem-RF system, allowing for sub-6 5G, WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1 support. It’s a newer modem compared to the X51 on the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1, but drops support for mmWave and Bluetooth 5.2. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 also has Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ onboard, allowing for fast charging from zero to 50% in just 15 minutes. There’s dual frequency GNSS support too for increased location tracking capabilities. You can expect new devices from the likes of Vivo and Redmi to debut the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 some time later this year.

For more information on the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2, you can head over to its product page on the Qualcomm website.