Qualcomm Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 arrives to give budget phones a big boost

Qualcomm is dropping a new chip designed to power the best cheap phones . The Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 promises features such as gigabit 5G connectivity and good power efficiency, which are key to making affordable smartphones work like more expensive models.

The company aims to bring 5G to more people with the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2. It offers gigabit 5G connectivity in a chipset that will power much cheaper phones. One of the carriers needs to offer 5G in the region or country for that connectivity to be there, but it's a nice step in the right direction.

"The Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 Mobile Platform is a significant leap forward in making 5G technology more accessible, so more people can navigate the world at 5G speeds,” said Chris Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile handsets, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Patrick also spoke about the company's effort to offer higher-tier technology for an affordable price. “Thanks to cutting-edge engineering, we balanced affordability with strong performance and all-day battery life as well as widespread access to 5G for more enhanced mobile experiences," he explained.

For performance, the chip is made with a 4nm process node that delivers enhanced power savings, which is critical to keeping a phone running. It also has Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ technology to fill the phone up quickly when the battery is low.

The chip sounds decent for performance, with it offering two performance cores with up to 2GHz and six efficiency cores with up to 1.8GHz. It won't rival the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 expected in flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S25 , but for an affordable chip, it sounds promising.

Regarding availability, Qualcomm says the chip will launch with Xiaomi and its other brands, with other OEMs to follow. The first commercial device is expected to be announced before the end of the year. The company didn't say which other brands would use the chip or any specific phones, so stay tuned to learn more.

More from Tom's Guide

• iPhone 16 AI features: All the biggest rumors so far
• I write about AI for a living — 5 new features I want to see on the next iPad
• I just spent my first day with the Rabbit R1 — here’s what this AI gadget can do