Qualcomm to Release Cheaper Snapdragon 888 Chipset; Leica Technology Could Also be Featured! [RUMOR]

Qualcomm currently has two flagship-worthy chipsets in the market, not counting the older Snapdragons that have powered flagship phones. It is between SnapDragon 888, the top-tier processor, and the Snapdragon 870 chipset, the overclocked Snapdragon 865 Plus.

However, a new leak suggests that the company could be working on a lower-end version of the Snapdragon 888 without an integrated 5G modem to reduce the cost of the chipset without any compromise in performance.

A Cheaper Snapdragon 888 in the Works?

Android Authority reports that a renowned leaker named Roland Quandt shared some details about the purported chipset with the model name SM8325 on Twitter. Quandt is confident that a lower and derivate of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888--that is known by its model name SM8250--is under development. The rumored chipset will help manufacturers provide the processing capabilities of the latest processors while also enjoying the option to exclude the pricey mandatory 5G devices.

To clarify, this does not mean that the purported cheaper chipset will lack 5G capabilities. Moreover, while the Snapdragon 888 comes with an integrated Snapdragon X60 5G modem, older flagship chipsets including the Snapdragon 865 and the Snapdragon 865 Plus came without an inbuilt modem. This allowed manufacturers to either add 5G support at an additional cost or skip 5G capabilities entirely to keep the price of their flagship phones under reasonable prices.

Also Read: Will The Snapdragon 835 Exclusivity Seal Samsung Galaxy S8's Victory?

Also, Quandt does not specify any other details about the processor and whether the leaked chipset might be fabricated using a 5nm process, unlike the Snapdragon 870--which is a 7nm chipset. Nevertheless, Qualcomm could have a winner on its hand, and customers too can expect to pay less for premium phones if the chip indeed comes to the market.

The company had recently launched the Snapdragon 870 and it is not yet known how the upcoming chipset will differ from the SD870 SoC. However, the chipset is likely to be based on the 5nm process and meant for markets where 5G is still not available.

Leica Technology for the Snapdragon 888 Chipset

Gizmochina reports that the upcoming Snapdragon 888 will feature Leica technology and for this, the company has entered into a partnership with the German company to produce a chipset that has an upgrade for smartphone's camera setup. Currently, both companies are testing on a module named "Leica1."

For those who are unaware, Leica is a German company that manufactures cameras, lenses, binoculars, rifle scopes, microscopes and ophthalmic lenses. Huawei has been using the Leica lens for its flagship phones for the past few years and has been appreciated for its camera performance over the years. For now, people should take this news with a grain of salt.

Besides that, Qualcomm is busy working on resolving the concern of wireless audio as it losses quality due to the limitation of bandwidth with the company's latest Snapdragon Sound platform with its quality and low latency.

The company is introducing 800 series chipsets aligned with the FastConnect 6900 connectivity system, while headsets and earbuds get the QCC514x, QCC515x, and QCC3056 series Bluetooth Audio SoCs as reported by Tech Juice.

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