Budget Android phones are about to get a power injection. Qualcomm has just unveiled the new Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 chip. The company has released it quietly, without much fanfare. Still, the latest hardware platform includes some impressive features for affordable mobile devices, including support for 144Hz displays.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 powers 59% faster graphics in cheap phones
The most important technical detail of the new platform is that it is the first in the 6s series built using a 4nm process node. This drives major gains in efficiency and power over older 6nm designs. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 4’s CPU structure includes eight Kryo cores: 4x performance cores clocked up to 2.4 GHz and 4x efficiency cores operating at up to 1.8 GHz. Qualcomm states that this configuration yields up to 36% better CPU performance and up to 59% faster GPU performance compared to previous generations. For users, this means noticeably smoother app switching and quicker load times. Overall, you can expect a more responsive daily experience overall.
Beyond core processing, the chip improves several key aspects of the affordable phone experience. Starting with gaming, the chip supports high-frame-rate content on Full HD+ displays at 144 Hz. It also incorporates software features borrowed from premium Snapdragon lines. The list includes Variable Rate Shading (VRS) for efficient graphics rendering and Qualcomm’s Game Quick Touch feature. The latter reduces input lag during high-action games. Furthermore, the chip is compatible with high-speed LPDDR5 memory (up to 3,200 MHz).
200MP camera support, Wi-Fi 6E and more
The new platform also enhances multimedia capabilities on Android handsets. It supports camera sensors up to 200MP and enables 2K video recording. For situations with poor lighting, the hardware-accelerated Multi-Frame Noise Reduction (MFNR) helps to deliver clearer, more detailed photos. In terms of connectivity, the modem supports the latest 5G Release 16 standard. Advanced Wi-Fi 6E technology—up to 2.9 Gbps download speed—and Bluetooth 5.4 are also present.
Qualcomm has not yet confirmed the specific device manufacturers or a timeline for retail availability. However, major companies that traditionally use the 6-series—such as Xiaomi, OPPO, and Motorola—will likely incorporate this new platform into their upcoming models pretty soon. Let’s hope to receive more news about it soon.
