Qualcomm just dropped a new Snapdragon chip for midrange phones
What you need to know
Qualcomm brings a new chipset for upcoming mid-range phones.
It is dubbed Snapdragon 7s Gen 2, and the first devices are expected to launch soon.
Redmi's Note 13 Pro is likely the first to launch with the new chipset in China.
While we await the launch of Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in October, Qualcomm has introduced yet another Snapdragon 7 series processor dubbed Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC. It sits under the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 2 SoC released earlier this year, as noted by the slight change to the naming scheme Qualcomm has stuck with recently, and admittedly lower performance than even the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 in some areas.
Still, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 claims to offer decent performance, particularly when it comes to gaming and other aspects. It equips the chipset maker's Kryo CPU with four performance cores featuring up to 2.4GHz clock speeds and four efficiency cores at 1.95GHz. The chipset is backed by an Adreno GPU with support for 10-bit HDR gaming. For connectivity, the SoC comes with a Snapdragon X62 5G modem and supports Bluetooth 5.2 and Wi-Fi 6E.
That said, peak download speeds are not as robust as the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, although it should still offer decent 5G performance.
For better navigation, health, music, and other such apps, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 comes with an optimized Qualcomm AI engine. The SoC further enables faster face unlocking, thanks to the Qualcomm Sensing Hub.
For optics, the chipset comes with a triple ISP supporting three rear cameras to capture shots, and it is further capable of shooting 200MP shots as well. Unfortunately, sensor support seems to be even lower than the 7 Gen 1, but the chipset supports 4K video recording in HDR and an AI De-Noising (AIDE) neural network that promises sharper renders alongside clear photos.
The latest Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 chipset is designed to power the upcoming mid-range smartphones. These smartphones are expected to equip storage options, including up to 12GB of RAM (LPDDR5), Full HD+ displays, and Qualcomm's Quick Charge 4+ technology for faster charging speeds. Moreover, the chipset features Snapdragon Sound with support for Qualcomm aptX.
Xiaomi is launching a new phone of its sub-brand Redmi this week, which is likely the first handset to equip the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC. The device, dubbed Redmi Note 13 Pro, is all set to launch in China on September 21.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm is gearing up for the Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii from October 24-26, where we expect to see the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and hopefully hear about upcoming Android phones that will be powered by the chip.
