Qualcomm Debuts 5G Chipset to Make Gigabit 5G More Affordable, and Unveils New Snapdragon X Series Compute Lineup for the Indian Market

Qualcomm Technologies made two key announcements at its Snapdragon for India in Delhi, India, aimed at showcasing its India presence and driving innovation and 5G access for the India market. Bringing together its global leaders for Mobile and Compute alongside the India leadership team, the event gathered key India ecosystem partners, media, analysts and industry influencers. The event included guest keynotes by Lt. Gen. Dr. SP Kochhar, Director General at Cellular Operators Association of India – (COAI) who spoke about the scope and scale of 5G in India, Navkendar Singh, Associate Vice President with IDC India, who spoke about some of the challenges Indian consumers have faced in 5G access and adoption and Varun Mayya, CEO and founder of Aeos Labs and a leading voice on generative AI and content creation.

This event recognized the key contributions of its India engineering teams in the design and development of its latest solution for the smartphone market. It highlighted Qualcomm’s commitment to fostering innovation and empowering communities in India over the last 20 years, enabling access to cutting-edge technologies in 5G and AI, by the heads of the Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai Centers, Srini Maddali, SVP, Engineering, Qualcomm India Pvt. Ltd.  and Shashi Reddy, VP, Engineering, Qualcomm India Pvt. Ltd.  and Mahesh Moorthy, VP, Engineering, Qualcomm India Pvt. Ltd.  respectively.

The new Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 redefines the entry-level mobile experience, packed with consumer must-haves, including Gigabit 5G connectivity, robust power efficiency for all-day battery life, and skilled camera capabilities. With innovations that aim at the greater good, Qualcomm’s 5G leadership has played a key role in digitizing India. Stemming from Qualcomm’s commitment to engineering human progress, this chip of change will be key in accelerating 5G penetration in India by bringing this technology to entry tier smartphones. The Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 will make 5G accessible to over 600 million Indian smartphone users, offering peak download speeds up to 1 Gbps, which is 7 times faster than the LTE platforms typically available in the same price tier*.

“The Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 Mobile Platform is a significant step towards making 5G technology more accessible to millions of people at the entry tier,” said Chris Patrick, senior vice president and general manager of mobile handsets, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “By balancing affordability and strong performance with all-day battery life, we are enabling widespread access to 5G for a smoother transition for consumers looking to upgrade from 4G. We are immensely proud of our engineering teams for their exceptional work in developing a solution that will significantly enhance mobile experiences for millions of people, not only in India but around the globe.”

Speaking about Qualcomm’s efforts towards digital inclusivity & connectivity in India, Savi Soin, Senior Vice President and President, Qualcomm India said, “Access to 5G will be a key factor towards furthering India’s journey of digital transformation and securing its presence as a global player. With the 5G rollout in India a success, our vision is to make sure every Indian can enjoy its benefits with affordable devices. 5G can bridge the digital divide, empowering Indians with crucial tools and services in education, government services, healthcare, and payments more reliably and securely, as well as drive India’s Made in India agenda. Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 is a key step in strengthening India’s 5G landscape and democratizing connectivity.”

 Mr. Sunil Dutt, President – Devices, Jio commented, “Qualcomm Technologies’ cutting-edge 5G platforms, combined with Jio’s largest, widest and fastest network as well as a deep understanding of the Indian market, will enable True 5G for ALL Indians. Qualcomm Technologies’ support has been instrumental in Jio’s journey to becoming the Largest Mobile-Data operator in the world. Through this collaboration, Qualcomm Technologies and Jio are transforming India’s telecommunications landscape and creating a more inclusive digital future. Together, we are making “5G for All” a reality, helping ensure every Indian can access the opportunities shaping the future of India.”

Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 will be initially adopted by India’s leading Mobile OEM, Xiaomi and its other brands, with the first commercial device expected to be announced before the end of the year.

“We are excited to be working with Qualcomm Technologies to enable access to gigabit-fast connectivity for users across India” said Muralikrishnan B, President, Xiaomi India. “Many people have yet to experience the benefits of 5G, and thanks to Snapdragon 4s Gen 2, Xiaomi can bring 5G connectivity to a broader audience to help reshape the way the world connects and interacts.”

Qualcomm Technologies’ mobile momentum has demonstrated leadership of modernizing smartphone experiences. Qualcomm Technologies is now strengthening beyond mobile, continuing to bring its global innovation to compute with exclusive AI-led experiences for the Windows ecosystem. The company has been at the forefront of innovation in India for the past two decades, contributing significantly to advancements in technology, particularly in fields such as 5G and artificial intelligence (AI). Its dedication to fostering a culture that prioritizes innovation will further enable innovation that accelerates the digital economy and drives the greater good.

Further to the global launch of Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus with Microsoft Copilot+, Qualcomm Technologies showcased its collaboration with leading PC OEMs like Asus, Acer, Dell, HP and Lenovo to bring this new category of devices to enable new-age compute and Gen AI experiences. Copilot+ PCs powered by Snapdragon X Series redefine the personal computing experience delivering multiple days of battery life, unparalleled performance plus efficiency to accelerate productivity and creativity with unique AI experiences powered by the world’s fastest and most efficient NPU for laptops at 45 TOPS, delivering leading performance per watt. The NPU is built from the ground up to run on-demand AI use cases like image generation to those that run pervasively in the background.

Commenting on the arrival of Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus in India, Kedar Kondap, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Compute and Gaming, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. said, “Modern PC experiences require platforms that provide the best performance without sacrificing battery life. Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus embody the pinnacle of performance. Snapdragon X Series-powered Copilot+ PCs are the ideal platforms for unlocking the full potential of next-gen AI apps for PCs. We are excited to bring this innovation to a young nation like India with millions of users wanting to enhance their productivity and support their creativity. Snapdragon X Series is the start of a worldwide movement towards intelligent computing

 Shruti Bhatia, Country Manager, Modern Work & Surface, India & South Asia, said, “Microsoft Surface Copilot+ PCs, now available in India, are power-packed devices made for everyday work and play, providing exclusive AI experiences to empower our customers. We see AI PCs as a transformative opportunity that can disrupt the PC market. With new advanced AI experiences integrated into the devices, it will enable users to do things they can’t on any other PC, helping them be more productive, creative and communicate more effectively.”

Qualcomm Technologies was joined by its broad ecosystem of PC partners who voiced strong support for the introduction of this new category of PCs in India

ASUS: “At ASUS, we are committed to advancing technology to meet our customers’ diverse and ever-evolving needs. The latest Vivobook powered by the groundbreaking Snapdragon X Elite processor and advanced AI capabilities exemplifies this dedication and our ultimate goal to deliver a seamless experience. With Snapdragon having pushed the boundaries of innovation in mobile technology, we are glad to bring this product to our consumers through this collaboration and offer unparalleled performance and intuitive usability. Leveraging AI technology, we aim to assist a broad spectrum of use cases for consumers as well as creators,” said Arnold Su, Vice President, Consumer & Gaming PC, System Business Group, Asus India. 

Dell: Commenting at the Snapdragon for India event, Raj Kumar Rishi, Vice President and Managing Director, Consumer and Small Business, Dell Technologies, India said, “We are proud to work with Qualcomm Technologies to launch Dell’s Copilot+ AI PCs in the Indian market. The latest XPS 13 and Inspiron 14 Plus set new benchmarks in personal computing, showcasing Dell’s unwavering commitment to industry leadership and innovation. Powered by the Snapdragon X Series processors, the AI-driven capabilities of the devices are designed to seamlessly adapt to user needs, delivering unparalleled performance, groundbreaking battery life, robust connectivity, and effortless multitasking. At Dell, we are not just pushing the boundaries of technology; we are empowering customers to achieve success and set themselves apart in an ever-evolving landscape.”

HP: “We are dedicated to delivering best-in-class technology to our customers. Our recent launch of the EliteBook Ultra and OmniBook X laptops, powered by the Snapdragon Elite X processors, reflects this commitment. As the leading PC company in India, we are thrilled to work with Qualcomm Technologies on this journey, unlocking new levels of innovation and setting new standards in the PC industry.” Said Vineet Gehani, Senior Director -Personal Systems, HP India

Lenovo: “AI PC innovation has become our passion. We don’t just make PCs, we make experiences using diverse design brilliance, more sustainable materials, and revolutionary AI computing technologies to deliver the future of business and personal computing. We are happy to take on this journey with Qualcomm Technologies to unlock the next generation of AI PCs that will transform user experiences making them both creative and productive.” says, Chandrika Jain, Director, Marketing, Lenovo India.