Hardware

Published on January 5th, 2021 | by Andrew Bistak

Qualcomm Expands 5G Capabilities to Mobile Devices

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 480 5G Mobile Platform, the first 4-series mobile platform equipped with 5G. Snapdragon 480 continues to help drive further proliferation of 5G, allowing users access to truly global 5G connectivity and series-defying performance to power in-demand productivity and entertainment experiences.

“Qualcomm Technologies continues to accelerate 5G commercialisation globally to make 5G smartphones more accessible, especially as people worldwide continue to connect remotely,” said Kedar Kondap, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “The Snapdragon 480 5G Mobile Platform will exceed OEM’s and consumer’s expectations in delivering high- and mid-tier features at an affordable price.”

The Snapdragon 480 5G Mobile Platform offers the most advanced 4-series capabilities to date:

  • 5G and Connectivity: Snapdragon 480 features the Snapdragon X51 5G Modem-RF System to support mmWave and Sub-6 GHz 5G; Standalone (SA) and Non-standalone(NSA) modes; Time Division Duplexing (TDD), Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD),and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) for top mobile performance and connectivity. The Snapdragon X51 enables multi-gigabit 5G connections for near instantaneous uploads and downloads and supports multiple frequencies for flexibility and accessibility. With Qualcomm® FastConnect™ 6200, Snapdragon 480 also offers 2×2 Wi-Fi (dual Wi-Fiantennas) with a set of key Wi-Fi 6 features, such as 8×8 sounding with multi-userMIMO, for significant range and performance improvements, in addition to Bluetooth 5.1and advanced wireless audio capabilities. Snapdragon 480 features additional trailblazing wireless technologies such as support for Dual-frequency GPS and NavIC for accurate location positioning.
  • Performance and Battery: Snapdragon 480 allows smartphone users to stay productive longer and recharge faster. The platform, based on 8nm process, features the Qualcomm® Kryo™ 460 CPU with up to 2.0 GHz, Qualcomm® Adreno™ 619 GPU, and Qualcomm® Hexagon™ 686 Processor to deliver up to 100% performance improvement in CPU and GPU, and up to 70% AI performance improvement compared to the previous generation. Snapdragon 480 also supports Qualcomm® Quick Charge™4+ technology, a first in a 4-series.
  • Camera: Capture stunning photos and videos with Qualcomm Spectra™ 345 ISP – the first triple ISP in a 4 series. Capture from all three cameras simultaneously. Triple 13MP photo capture can deliver an image from the ultrawide, wide and telephoto camera all at once or capture triple 720p videos simultaneously.
  • Entertainment: The Snapdragon 480 upgrades streaming and gaming user experiences. The 120fps FHD+ display support provides incredible content clarity and quick, smooth graphics rendering. The platform offers fully immersive entertainment with Qualcomm® aptX™ audio, optimized gaming experiences across popular titles, seamless streaming for HD content, and faster application load times.

OEM Quotes

“Democratising technology is at the heart of what we do at HMD Global. Our close collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies is allowing us to bring fantastic technology to all. We introduced our first 5G smartphone (the Nokia 8.3 5G) less than a year ago and the new Snapdragon 480 5G Mobile Platform is a huge step towards global 5G access. We’re excited about the opportunities it will bring to our users,” said Adam Ferguson, global head of product marketing at HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones. “Congratulations to the team at Qualcomm Technologies – we look forward to showing the world what powerful chipsets, combined with quality hardware and secure software can do!”

“We are excited to leverage the new Snapdragon 480 5G Mobile Platform to scale consumer access to and use of 5G globally,” says Brenda, product manager, OPPO. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration to bring consumers a wider selection of affordable smartphone choices with enhanced mobile experiences.”

“We share Qualcomm Technologies’ commitment to bring accessible 5G mobile devices to more people around the world,” said Heliang Liu, product director, vivo. “We are excited that with the new Snapdragon 480 5G Mobile Platform will be able to deliver 5G connectivity, low power capabilities, and new entertainment features on smartphones devices at scale.”

The first commercial devices powered by the Snapdragon 480 5G Mobile Platform are expected to be announced in early 2021.

Note: All comparisons made are in reference to previous generation, Snapdragon 460 Mobile Platform.


About the Author

When he's not trying to save the world, Andrew enjoys travel (although loathes turbulence), going to the movies, reading and being a dad to his two dogs (and now twins) with his wife.


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