Many of us lust after the mighty flagships released by the giants of technology, but not everyone can afford these costly range-toppers. Indeed, for many around the world, entry-level devices are the only option, but cheap phones are quickly improving, both in terms of quality and the range of features that they offer.
Qualcomm has now unveiled its next-generation chipset, the Snapdragon 210, that will enable manufacturers to deliver even more features and better experiences on these most affordable devices.
It is intended to replace the Snapdragon 200 SoC that has made its way into scores of handsets - including many new low-cost Windows Phones, such as the Cherry Mobile Alpha Style and Luxe, and Blu"s Win JR and Win HD. As Engadget reports, Qualcomm is targeting the sub-$100 handset market with the new chipset, which brings integrated 4G LTE support to this category for the first time.
Key specs of the Snapdragon 210 include:
- Up to 1.1GHz quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 CPU
- Adreno 304 GPU
- Display resolutions up to 720p
- 1080p video playback and capture with H.264 (AVC); 1080p video playback with H.265 (HEVC)
- Cameras up to 8MP
- 4G LTE-Advanced World Mode
- Multi-mode 3G
-
802.11n Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth 4.1
- NFC support (with specific processor models)
- Support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 (requires a separate chip), for up to 75% faster charging
For the next few months, though, expect to see plenty more devices being released with the current Snapdragon 200 on board - the new Snapdragon 210 won"t be available until the first half of 2015.