Qualcomm may be working on a cheaper variant of the Snapdragon 888, and if this news is true, it could be huge for value-focused flagships in 2021. The Snapdragon 888 as it currently exists is the highest-end mobile chipset Qualcomm has to offer, with the chip making its Android debut earlier this year in the Samsung Galaxy S21 series and Xiaomi Mi 11. The 888 stands out for a few different reasons, whether it be its blistering performance, great power efficiency, or robust 5G connectivity.
There's one big problem with the Snapdragon 888, though, and that's its cost. Qualcomm tends to price its top-of-the-line chipsets rather high, and as we've already seen in the S21 family, a pretty penny needs to be spent if you want a phone powered by the 888. If this latest rumor is to be believed, however, Qualcomm may have found a way to offer most of the Snapdragon 888's best features but at a reduced cost.
Roland Quandt has established himself as one of the most reliable leakers in the mobile tech space, and according to a recent Tweet from him, Qualcomm is developing a lower-end version of the Snapdragon 888. He says the model number for the new chip is SM8325 (the Snapdragon 888 is SM8350) and that "there seems to be NO integrated 5G modem." It's possible there are other spec differences between the SM8325 and the Snapdragon 888, but at least for the time being, the lack of 5G seems to be the main differentiator.
More Affordable Flagship Phones Could Be Coming Soon
While 5G is a big focus for the vast majority of the mobile space, the fact remains that lots of markets around the globe simply can't utilize the tech right now. As such, flagship phones shipping with integrated 5G come at an increased cost with no tangible benefit in these areas. By removing 5G from this new chipset and retaining everything else that makes the Snapdragon 888 so great, there could soon be a future of incredibly fast and capable smartphones that cost less than mainstream flagships using the regular 888.
This also makes it clear that Qualcomm is approaching 2021 with a very different strategy compared to past years. Where Qualcomm typically has one flagship-grade chipset and that's it, 2021 has already given us the Snapdragon 888, 870, and now this rumor about an 888 with no 5G. Combine that with what's going on in the mid-range space with the Snapdragon 768 and rumored 775, and Qualcomm really seems to be on a mission to offer a mobile chipset for virtually any price range. That could result in a slightly more confusing lineup of smartphones over the coming months, but more flexible/competitive pricing is never something to complain about.
Source: Roland Quandt