Qualcomm is planning to make AI technology available to more people by incorporating it into its lower-end processors, as confirmed by the President of Qualcomm India. Additionally, there is now a timeline for the release of budget 5G smartphones that will be priced below Rs 8,000.
“Qualcomm has started working on bringing AI capabilities to budget and mid-budget processors; we will see them in action at the end of 2024 or maybe early 2025,” Savi Soin, President of Qualcomm India, said to The Mobile Indian.
At present, Qualcomm’s lower-end chipsets, which are available in budget smartphones but do not have access to on-device AI, include Snapdragon 6 Gen series and 4 Gen series chips, considering Snapdragon 7 Gen series already has access to the technology.
AI in Qualcomm Chips Below Rs 30,000
Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 processor earlier this year, the first 7-series processor to support on-device AI, thereby borrowing the same capabilities from Qualcomm’s flagship 8 Gen 3 chip.
In India, the first device to come with this chip is the Realme GT 6T which is also set to gain AI features soon and starts at Rs 30,999. Bringing down the price further was Poco, who launched the Poco F6 5G at Rs 29,999, sporting the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 that gets about the same AI capabilities as the 8 Gen 3 but with lower speeds.
Qualcomm has already penetrated the sub-Rs 30,000 segment by bringing AI to lower-tier devices, and later this year, it plans to enter a new segment, potentially the sub-Rs 20,000 range. Bringing down AI at this price point would definitely pressure the competition and would also make for an appealing purchase factor for the consumers in the segment, especially in India, which is a price-sensitive market.
Launch Timeline For 5G Smartphones Below Rs 8,000
Earlier this month, we reported that Qualcomm would be bringing down 5G smartphone prices below Rs 8,000 this year. Now, thanks to a concrete update from Soin, we can confirm that such devices will begin launching in the second half of this year. “We are working with our partners to bring 5G to the affordable segment, and consumers can expect an announcement in the second half of this year just after the Cricket T20 World Cup,” said Soin.
As of now, the cheapest 5G smartphone in India costs Rs 9,499, and it is the Lava Yuva 5G, which debuted quite recently. However, it has the Unisoc T750 processor and is the first handset to sport that Chipset in the country. This suggests that even competitors are working in full swing to bring down the prices of 5G smartphones.
While Qualcomm’s presence in the sub-Rs 10,000 segment is weaker compared to MediaTek or Unisoc, we could soon witness a significant shift as Qualcomm prepares to disrupt the segment with the cheapest 5G smartphones.
What’s Next From Qualcomm?
Coming to what Qualcomm will further be bringing in 2024, apart from making 5G and AI available to lower-end processors, the chipmaker will further expand in the AI PCs segment in the second half of this year, as it did with the Copilot+ PCs.
Further, it’ll be working with local car manufacturers and those who sell two-wheelers in India to bring better connectivity features and an overall enhanced experience through Qualcomm chips. Qualcomm is also collaborating with Reliance Jio to bring 5G connectivity to Indian households via wireless devices.
Next up, the chipmaker is in talks with IoT companies alongside digital camera brands to bring AI into the camera segment. Expect major announcements from Qualcomm in all the fields in the second half of 2024.