Android smartphone makers such as Samsung and Xiaomi have been offering their recent and upcoming flagship handsets with 5G enabled capabilities – often marketed to consumers as a form of preparation for the inevitable change in infrastructure. The inclusion of 5G support is a guarantee for smartphones that are equipped with Qualcomm’s latest top-of-the-line chipset, the Snapdragon 888, due to the fact that it comes with an integrated 5G modem. Quandt’s recent claim suggests that Qualcomm is looking to offer smartphone manufacturers with a more affordable non-5G alternative of its Snapdragon 888 chipset. As mentioned earlier, this version of the SoC – allegedly known by its model number SM8325 – will exclude the 5G modem and would instead support up to LTE connectivity. On top of enabling brands to introduce 4G-only versions, this significant change also entails a reduction in price for flagship-tier handsets – a plus point that will definitely delight Android smartphone consumers.
The idea to launch non-5G variants of flagships is not entirely new. An example of this would be the LTE-only model of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE smartphone that was released last year – just a month after the launch of the original. However, it is worth noting that the initial model features a 5G-enabled Snapdragon 865 chipset, while the LTE version comes with the brand’s own Exynos 990 instead – therefore, both versions of the phone differed in terms of performance. Regardless, the major point of comparison between the two is the difference in pricing – where the original Samsung Galaxy S20 FE launched at RM3,399, while the later model is offered at RM2,699. If Quandt’s information is proven to be accurate, we can expect non-5G versions of Snapdragon 888-equipped flagship smartphones such as the OPPO Find X3 and Xiaomi Mi 11 to also be offered at a more affordable price range. Provided that the brands decide to introduce these variants in the near future, that is. (Source: Roland Quandt [Twitter])
