Qualcomm just unveiled the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 (SM4450), a sequel to the 4 Gen 1 from September last year. Thanks to the Snapdragon X61 modem, this is the first chip in the series to support the improved 3GPP Release 16 version of 5G. This is also the first 4nm chip in the Snapdragon 4 series.
Qualcomm doesn’t name the foundry, but the new node should promise better overall efficiency. For reference, the Gen 1 chip is fabricated at 6nm (TSMC), the 480 is at 8nm (Samsung).
The new CPU has two performance cores (clocked at 2.2GHz) and 6 efficiency cores (2.0GHz). This results in a 10% performance increase over SD 4 Gen 1. There are no details for the Adreno GPU, display support is the same, up to FHD+ at 120fps.
More importantly, the new chip uses faster RAM, LPDDR5x (up to 3,200 MHz). Faster storage is also an option, manufacturers can equip phones with UFS 3.1 (2 lanes). Check the table below for more details.
| Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 | Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 | |
| Processes | 6nm (TSMC) | 4nm (?) |
| processor | 2 x 2.0GHz + 6 x 1.8GHz | 2 x 2.2GHz + 6 x 2.0GHz |
| GPUs | Adreno 619 | ? |
| RAM | LPDDR4x 2.133MHz | LPDDR5x 3200 MHz |
| Warehousing | UFS 2.2 | UFS 3.1 (2 lanes) |
| Screen | Up to FHD+ at 120fps | Up to FHD+ at 120fps |
| ISP | Triple | Double (12-bit) |
| Camera | up to 108MP | up to 108MP, up to 32MP Zero Shutter Lag |
| video | up to 1080p at 60fps | up to 1080p @ 60fps, EIS |
| Modem | X51 (2.5 Gpb down, 800 Mbps up) | X61 (Rel. 16, 2.5 Gpbs down, 900 Mbps up)) |
| Local | WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.1 (aptX) | WiFi 5, Bluetooth 5.1 (aptX) |
| USB | 3.2 Jan 1 | 3.2 Jan 1 |
| Reload | Quick Charge 4+ | Quick Charge 4+ |
The camera hardware drops to double ISP but has a new ability called Multi-Camera Temporal Filtering (MCTF for short), which provides better noise reduction for video. Video capture is still limited to 1080p @ 60fps (and 720p @ 120fps for slow motion), but electronic image stabilization (EIS) is now supported. The chip can handle cameras with resolutions up to 108MP or up to 32MP for Zero Shutter Lag (or 16+16MP for dual cameras). Autofocus should also be faster.
Like its predecessor, the Gen 2 chip comes with Quick Charge 4+ and, according to Qualcomm, fills a battery to 50% in 15 minutes, albeit without further details. USB-C connectivity is rated at USB 3.2 Gen 1 speeds (that’s up to 5 Gbps).
3GPP Version 16 offers power saving features, improves coverage, and makes cellular-based location more accurate. The X61 modem can perform 4×4 MIMO (up to 100MHz bandwidth) and can deliver speeds of up to 2.5Gbps on low and 900Mbps on high.
Unfortunately, local connectivity hasn’t received an update: the chip only supports Wi-Fi 5 (ac) at 2.4GHz and 5GHz, as well as Bluetooth 5.1 with aptX for audio.
The first smartphones with the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 will arrive in the second half of this year (almost there), the first to arrive on the market will be from (Xiaomi) Redmi and vivo.
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