Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 690 processor will bring 5G to phones that may cost less than $400 when it launches later this year. Here’s what the chip’s all about.
Qualcomm has announced a new 6-series Snapdragon processor, the Snapdragon 690, destined for mid-range phones in the near future. Why should you care about it? Because it’s the first 6-series chip to support 5G, and that means the price of 5G phones is ready to tumble. By how much? For reference, the Nokia 5.3 has Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 665 inside, and can be purchased for 125 British pounds, or about $160, while the new Motorola Moto E has the Snapdragon 632 chipset and is yours for $149.Last year, Google used the Snapdragon 670 in the $399 Pixel 3a.
That’s a lot less than the entry level 5G phones we see now which use the Snapdragon 765G processor, including the 549 British pound, or about $690, Motorola Edge and the 399 British pound, or around $500, TCL 10 5G.
