Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 Promises 5G for All

Qualcomm announced the release of its latest ultralow-cost Snapdragon 4 offering, the 4s Gen 2, at its recent Snapdragon for India event. Boasting “5G for All” in ads throughout the event, Qualcomm aims to bring 5G to 2.8 billion customers worldwide starting with India. Qualcomm has focused heavily on investments in India over the past couple of decades and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon. Qualcomm has plans to spend over US$1 billion in 2024. Qualcomm’s second-largest R&D center is in India, only behind its US-based San Diego location.

Qualcomm implemented regressive changes from the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 to the new 4s Gen 2 version, as is typically the case for “s” (special) versions, leaving only the most essential features. Compared to the 4 Gen 2, the 4s Gen 2 has throttled back CPU and modem speeds in addition to reducing memory and 5G capability in efforts to lower cost yet gain battery performance. Particularly, the 4s Gen 2 no longer operates in 5G NSA (Non-Standalone) mode and supports 5G SA (Standalone) mode only, with antenna requirements reduced from four to two.