Affordable and mid-range Android smartphones could see the biggest performance jump in years, with Qualcomm unveiling the new Snapdragon 690 processor. This is the first time 5G is coming to the 6-series chipsets, along with significant performance as well as battery life improvements which will significantly improve the experience on the lower priced Android smartphones. Qualcomm confirms that HMD Global, LG Electronics, Motorola, Sharp, TCL, and Wingtech are the smartphone makers and OEMs who will soon announce new phones on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 5G Mobile Platform.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 5G Mobile Platform is built on the 8-nanometer process and is paired with the X51 modem. This succeeds the Snapdragon 675 processor. Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 690 5G Mobile Platform will support SA, NSA and global 5G bands sub-6GHz. As of now, the nnWave support remains on the higher spec 7-series and 8-series Snapdragon chipsets. In terms of performance, the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 5G Mobile Platform will be up to 20% faster in terms of performance and up to 60% faster when it comes to graphics, compared with the Snapdragon 675 that it succeeds.
“Driving the expansion of 5G into the Snapdragon 6-series has the potential to make 5G accessible to more than 2 billion smartphone users around the world,” says Cristiano Amon, president, Qualcomm Incorporated. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 5G Mobile Platform will run two cores at 2.0GHz and six cores at 1.7GHz. The Adreno 619L takes care of the graphics and there is the Snapdragon X51 modem for 5G connectivity.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 5G Mobile Platform also will enable 4K video recording at 30fps and support up to 192-megapixel photography, from up to 48-megapixel sensors. That means cameras in the lower price bands of the Android smartphone space will now see a significant boost as well. There is also the fifth-generation AI Engine called Arcsoft which uses the Hexagon Tensor Accelerator (HTA) that significantly improves the usage of filters in real-time, such as with Snapchat. The AI will also work in the background to ensure transitions between ultrawide, wide and telephoto cameras are smooth, and you don’t notice a judder in the transition.
Displays in these phones could also now support higher refresh rates, because the Snapdragon 690 will support up to 120Hz refresh rates at the FHD+ resolution. This also supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4+ charging standard.
“Just like the Android experience on our Nokia smartphones, our take on 5G is also future proofed. Earlier this year, we were the first manufacturer to leverage the power of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G 5G Modular Platform in a smartphone, delivering on our vision of a truly future-proof global 5G experience with the Nokia 8.3 5G,” says Juho Sarvikas, chief product officer, HMD Global. The Nokia phones will push the PureDisplay and ZEISS Imaging technologies to more affordable phones.
“We’re committed to expand 5G into our portfolio and we will rely on the new Snapdragon 690 Mobile Platform to continue to do it,” says Sergio Buniac, president, Motorola Mobility.
You just have to wait a bit longer. Smartphones and mobile devices running the Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 platform are already in development and are expected to be commercially available in the second half of this year.
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