Qualcomm's new chip to push 5G phone prices to below ₹8,000: India president

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₹8,000, top executives at the chipset design company told Mint in an exclusive interaction. “This is an India-first chip, and it is going to other markets from here, for instance, Latin America and Central Asia, with a faster ramp-up in India, by Q4 this year," Qualcomm India president Savi Soin said.

“We want to bring the 5G devices down to ₹8,000 and below such that technology becomes more affordable. Our goal would be hopefully, in a year from now, to get GenAI on lower-tier devices." The Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 chipset is being adopted by several smartphone makers, starting with Xiaomi, and this will enable them to bring out low-cost 5G phones by the end of this year or the January-March quarter.

“We are excited to be working with Qualcomm Technologies to enable access to gigabit-fast connectivity for users" said Muralikrishnan B, president of Xiaomi India. “Many people have yet to experience the benefits of 5G and thanks to Snapdragon 4s Gen 2, Xiaomi can bring 5G connectivity to a broader audience to help reshape the way the world connects and interacts." Smartphones built on the chipset will have dual band navIC for better position accuracy, AI-enhanced audio and smoother gaming and video streaming experience for consumers.

The US chipmaker that competes with Chinese rival Mediatek is aggressively looking at the automotive segment including electric and internal combustion engine-based two-, three- and four-wheeler vehicles, to sell its platform along with the chipset. “Connectivity should be in all vehicles and that strategy has to converge with the phone, which is what we’re seeing in China and that’s what is being demanded by auto customers in India," Soin noted.