Qualcomm Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 Details Leak: Budget-Friendly Yet Feature-Limited

Qualcomm's "4" series processors are designed for entry-level smartphones. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 was also introduced by Qualcomm late last year, with the node reduction to a 4nm manufacturing…

By Hardik Dhamija

July 30, 2024

3 min read

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Qualcomm’s “4” series processors are designed for entry-level smartphones. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 was also introduced by Qualcomm late last year, with the node reduction to a 4nm manufacturing process along with better support for RAM and faster storage. That being said, a more recent leak suggests that Qualcomm may be throwing another variant into the mix: Snapdragon 4s Gen 2. With a somewhat nicely detailed set of specsheet information to boot.

The Upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 4s Gen 2

According to the leaks from Evan Blass on X (formerly Twitter), the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 will be positioned between the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 and 4 Gen 2 in terms of performance. The new chip keeps the 4nm process and octa-core CPU layout, though clock speeds now top out at 2.0GHz as opposed to Gen 2’s up to 2.2GHz.

Some of the more significant trade-offs Qualcomm has made with the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 include the display support. The 4 Gen 2 can offer a seamless 120Hz FHD+ experience, which has now been downgraded to the more typical 90Hz FHD+ on 4s Gen 2. When rendering animations, the reduction could result in jerky transitions and impact the GUI’s fluidity.

Additionally, Qualcomm has cut corners with RAM compatibility. The processor maker switched from LPDDR5x to LPDDR4x, and the capacity is expected to be around 2133MHz. This second factor may not be taken seriously by consumers with fewer tabs open in Chrome but could slow down multitasking and heavy app usage, which might be encountered by power users.

Astonishingly, the 4s Gen 2 misses out on support for a 108MP camera, something that the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 will cover among others. That suggests they prefer to keep using lower megapixel sensors that could compromise image quality on the smartphone this chip is soldered into.

While the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 does make some compromises, they are clearly marketed towards those looking to create affordable 5G smartphones. The refresh rate of the display, compatibility with RAM, and the camera capabilities are also expected to be sacrificed meaning users will experience a few trade-offs in performance and user experience.

At this point in time, it is unknown what smartphone brands may adopt the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2. Still, it is a good choice for budget devices which lands useful balance between cost and performance in the developing 5G market.