5G smartphones should become less expensive in the future with Qualcomm announcing it will expand 5G capability along its line of Snapdragon chips to bring the previously higher-tier-only feature to a greater audience. With a market strategy to push its 5G platform, the corporation based in San Diego is expected to widen network accessibility to the new technology standard, thereby supporting a lower-cost market roll-out of devices relying on Qualcomm hardware.

5G is not without it issues. Besides what many might consider to be a slow rolling out of the network in countries, as well as globally in general, there are those that are concerned about the health risks associated with the technology. However, at a more fundamental level, the issue with 5G has been the entry cost. To begin with, only the most premium smartphones on the market boasted 5G support, and that was typically with the more premium model of the premium phone. While the entry cost has been slowly lowering, it is still high enough to likely dissuade many consumers from buying a 5G phone.

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In a press release, Qualcomm stated its interest in the broad proliferation of 5G enabled devices and leveraging its position as a hardware supplier to reduce the time needed to transition the public at-large to 5G. To do this, Qualcomm will use its Snapdragon 400 series of chips as a mobile platform for the 5th generation wireless standard. According to the company, consumers can expect smartphones powered by 5G-enabled Snapdragon 400 series chips to begin hitting the market in early 2021. In the same announcement the company made a bold statement that it intends to make good on its word to make 5G "accessible to all smartphone users."

A Win-Win Situation For All Involved

Qualcomm already supports 5G mobile platforms with its 6th, 7th and 8th series of Snapdragon chips, so the company is no stranger in this market. However, by fueling 5G device support, it stands to put itself in a good position early on and do so while benefiting the customer for a win-win situation. By partnering with companies like OPPO, Xiaomi and Motorola, a larger contingent of market players can secure a more vast share of profits using agile marketing to quickly put what shoppers want in front of them, at the price they want to pay.

For those working in an economy that, in many ways has gone remote, it's become more difficult for many to make some of the same purchases that they might have in 2019. Phones are a good example of this as while there are those happy to buy a new phone online, others prefer the more hands-on shopping experience when purchasing. Adding to this, the smartphone market also now has to contend with the additional income pressures many are currently facing in 2020, which might make opting for a high-price phone all the more harder. By bringing down the overall entry cost of 5G smartphones, it won't only be Qualcomm and smartphone brands that benefit, but also the consumer.

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Source: Qualcomm