Qualcomm Incorporated announced two new chips today to their mid-range lineup and they sure do look like real performers. The Snapdragon 430 and Snapdragon 617 offer major upgrades in both multimedia and connectivity and are expected to be available no later than Q2 2016.
The Snapdragon 430 features X6 LTE, with downlink speeds of up to 150 Mbps and uplink speeds of up to 75 Mbps. The 430 now supports camera sensors up to 21MP and uses the new Adreno 505 GPU. Both of those features were usually reserved for the top-end processors, but Qualcomm is now blurring the lines between budget devices and flagships. What this means is more money in our pockets at the end of the day.
Better yet, the Snapdragon 617 further improves upon the 430 with downlink speeds up to 300Mbps, and uplink speeds up to 100Mbps and also supports the same camera architecture as the Snapdragon 618 and 620.
Both the 617 and 430 now support Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0, meaning mid-range and budget devices will charge even quicker.
As smartphones and tablets continue to spread to all corners of the globe, we recognize that users are becoming more discerning in what they want,” said Alex Katouzian, senior vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “The introduction of these new processors is a clear indication that we are listening to the needs of our customers who want ever improving cameras, faster connectivity, and better battery life across all available price points.
2016 may be the year we turn to mid-range devices as our daily drivers if other mid-range components see improvements like these Snapdragon chips.
Read the full press release here.
