Qualcomm recalibrates chipsets to mitigate concerns about rising phone price

Tech major Qualcomm rolled out a portfolio of new generation chipsets for devices in mid-premium and lower-tier to mitigate concerns around the rising average selling price of smartphones due to the higher cost of storage chips, a company official said on Thursday.

Tech major Qualcomm rolled out a portfolio of new generation chipsets for devices in mid-premium and lower-tier to mitigate concerns around the rising average selling price of smartphones due to the higher cost of storage chips, a company official said on Thursday. The company unveiled the Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 and Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 chipsets, fine-tuned to support advanced connectivity, immersive gaming, reliable performance, and extended battery life. Qualcomm Technologies senior vice president and general Manager, mobile handsets, Chris Patrick, said that it is a challenging moment through which the mobile device industry is going. ''Component economics are changing. Memory (chip) supply is limited. Device costs are rising. This is all at a time when consumers expect even more value, even more capabilities of the technology they invest in. So that reality is exactly why announcements made today matter,'' he said. He said original equipment makers or mobile phone companies are direct customers of Qualcomm. ''What we have done is sort of really double down on the core strength of listening to our customers. The approach we've taken here is even sharpening,'' Patrick said. He said the new generation chipset addresses specific requirements of users, like camera features for creators or better pictures, improved gaming experience, etc. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 Mobile Platform focuses on AI-powered camera features that enhance photo capture and image quality to immersive gaming experiences. The Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 Mobile Platform has been fine-tuned for performance and seamless connectivity for everyday use, along with an improvement in gaming experience. The new version will, for the first time, support dual 5G SIMs in devices. The company announced tie-ups with Chinese smartphone players, including Oppo, realme, and Xiaomi, that are expected to launch commercial devices based on the new chipsets in the second half of 2026. Qualcomm also announced a partnership with audio device maker boAt for its Nirvana series headphones that will be built on its Snapdragon Sound chipsets.