Qualcomm announces Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 and Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 mobile platforms

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Qualcomm announces Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 and Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 mobile platforms

Qualcomm announced two new mobile platforms, Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 and Snapdragon 6 Gen 5, targeting the entry-level and mid-range smartphone segments respectively. Both chipsets sit under the company’s flagship Snapdragon 8 series and are designed to bring features usually reserved for high-end devices to affordable handsets. The announcement was made during a press conference led by Cheng Wei Yan, senior vice president of product management at Qualcomm.

The launch comes as Qualcomm acknowledges ongoing memory supply issues affecting pricing and availability across the industry. According to Yan, the company works closely with its OEM partners to manage these conditions while maintaining its product roadmap and technology leadership.

Snapdragon 4 Gen 5: entry level with flagship ambitions

Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 is Qualcomm’s latest entry-level mobile platform, positioned as a chipset that delivers key smartphone features and certain capabilities that previously resided in higher price brackets. The platform is built on meaningful improvements in GPU performance, battery efficiency, connectivity and user interface responsiveness.

GPU and graphics performance

At the heart of the performance story is the updated Adreno GPU, which Qualcomm claims delivers up to 77% faster graphics performance compared to its predecessor. The company also claims a 54% profit margin over competing platforms at this level. In practical terms, Qualcomm says these benefits translate to smoother screens throughout gaming, streaming and general app navigation.

Notably, Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 brings 90 fps games to the 400-tier for the first time. Qualcomm says users can expect between 60 and 90 frames per second in supported game titles, a huge step for an entry-level chipset. In context, many budget smartphones have been limited to 30 or 60 fps in most subjects, so this is a significant conflict in the price segment.

Battery life and energy efficiency

Energy efficiency has been a major focus in Snapdragon 4 Gen 5. Qualcomm wants to save 10% energy overall compared to the previous generation, which the company distinguishes between some real-world benefits: up to 1.7 hours of additional music streaming, more than an hour of video streaming, 35 minutes of additional voice call time and 15 additional minutes of web browsing. This is an incremental but sensible improvement, especially for users in markets where charging opportunities may not be available throughout the day.

5G connectivity and dual SIM support

Connectivity is where Qualcomm has positioned itself as a leader, and the Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 continues that trend. The integrated Qualcomm 5G modem-RF system supports the 3GPP Release 17 standard, with maximum download speeds of up to 2.8 Gbps.

Perhaps most important for everyday users is the introduction of 5G plus 5G dual SIM dual active (DSDA) support in this category for the first time. DSDA allows two SIM cards to continue working simultaneously in 5G mode, allowing seamless management of work and personal lines on one device. The system will also automatically connect to the fastest available 5G network, which should benefit users moving between different coverage areas.

Additionally, the platform includes Smart Network Selection Gen 3.0, a context-aware technology that optimizes network performance based on usage conditions. Whether the user is playing games, uploading photos or making video calls, the system adjusts communication behavior to suit the situation. Qualcomm has clearly highlighted that this feature works in challenging environments such as elevators, subways and car parks, where signal quality often deteriorates.

Smooth Motion UI

A new software feature called Snapdragon Smooth Motion UI was introduced with the 4 Gen 5. Qualcomm claims this delivers 43% faster app launch and 25% less screen stutter compared to the previous generation. Screen stutter, often described as jank or jerkiness when scrolling through content, is one of the most noticeable performance issues in budget smartphones. Reducing this should make social media feeds, app switching and general navigation feel much smoother.

It’s worth noting that these figures are Qualcomm’s claims and real-world results will depend heavily on how OEMs use the platform, including software optimization, RAM allocation and storage speeds. Still, focusing on UI responsiveness rather than raw benchmark numbers is a logical approach for this segment, where day-to-day smoothness is often more important than peak performance.

Camera features

Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 includes a series of smart camera features designed to make photography more accessible to entry-level users. These include automatic exposure, autofocus and automatic white balance adjustments that work together to improve shot consistency without requiring manual intervention.

Electronic image stabilization (EIS) is included to reduce blurring from handshakes or movements during photo and video capture. There is also intelligent face detection, which automatically detects and focuses on faces during shooting. These are features that have been standard on mid-range and flagship platforms for a long time, but their inclusion at the 400-tier level should help bridge the graphics gap between budget and premium devices.

Sound skills

On the audio front, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 includes Snapdragon Sound technology with several notable features. Qualcomm Acoustic Audio Codec provides high-resolution audio playback directly from the device, while Qualcomm aptX Adaptive Audio is designed to maintain uninterrupted wireless audio for all games, video and music streaming. Support for lossless 96 kHz music streaming is also included, which is a surprisingly powerful specification for an entry-level chipset and should appeal to users who care about sound quality but can’t stretch to a more expensive handset.

Snapdragon 6 Gen 5: mid-range positioning

Qualcomm also confirmed the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 as part of the same announcement. This platform sits in the mid-range of the company, above the 4 series but below the Snapdragon 7 and 8 series. While the detailed information of the 6 Gen 5 is covered in a separate part of the forum, the platform is designed to bring what Qualcomm describes as the most demanded features of high-end smartphones in an accessible price point.

The Snapdragon 6 series has traditionally served as a bridge between entry-level and premium, offering a balance of performance, camera capabilities and connectivity targeting a large segment of the global smartphone market. Some benchmarks, feature breakdowns and OEM design wins for the 6 Gen 5 are expected to be shared as part of the full build materials.

Total portfolio and word structure

Qualcomm took the opportunity during the forum to clarify its Snapdragon design assembly and how the various stages fit together. The Snapdragon 8 series remains the premium flagship tier where the company launches its most advanced technology. The Snapdragon 7 series brings much-needed features for mid-range devices. The Snapdragon 6 series covers mid-range mobile phones, while the Snapdragon 4 series targets entry-level products with key features.

The company stressed that the 4 and 6 series are important to its broader strategy to connect billions of users around the world. According to Qualcomm’s internal research, 88% of surveyed consumers have a positive opinion of the Snapdragon product, while 82% consider the chipset an important factor when choosing a device. Consumer priorities always rank battery life, camera quality, performance and connectivity as top factors in purchasing decisions, and Qualcomm says both new platforms are designed with these priorities in mind.

Availability

Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 and Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 have been officially announced under an embargo that lifts on Wednesday, 7 May 2025 at 7:00 am BST (11:00 pm Pacific Time on 6 May). Presentation materials, including detailed fact sheets and partner announcements, are expected to be circulated for press before the embargo is lifted. Qualcomm has yet to confirm specific device launches or pricing for handsets powered by either platform, although OEM announcements follow shortly after the launch of the Snapdragon platform.

Both platforms are expected to appear on devices from a range of smartphone manufacturers around the world in the coming months, with the 4 Gen 5 likely to appear on handsets priced below the £250 mark and the 6 Gen 5 targeting the £250 to £400 segment, based on historical pricing patterns for these segments.