Android flagship phones could become expensive because of Qualcomm

One of the costliest components in a flagship smartphone is the chipset. Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, launched last year, was the most expensive from the company because of the built-in 5G modem.

Thanks to the built-in 5G technology, the cost increased, and thus, the pricing of the smartphones powered by the chipset also went up. Now, Android flagship smartphones are expected to even expensive from next year.

As per the report, Qualcomm Snapdragon 875, the next-generation flagship chipset, is about 60 percent more expensive than the SD865. While the SD865 costs around $150-160, the SD875 reportedly costs $250.

The report adds that Xiaomi is currently negotiating the pricing of the next-generation chipset with Qualcomm for its upcoming flagship smartphone. To launch its phone at a competitive price point, Xiaomi could rethink the camera module. For those who are unaware, camera sensors also fall into the list of expensive components in a device.

It remains to be seen what the Snapdragon 875 packs for the company to warrant about a 60 percent increase in the price. As per the reports, it will be the company’s first SoC based on the 5nm process.

Further, it is said to be using Kryo 685 architecture and packs Adreno 660 GPU. It will also come equipped with Spectra 580 image-processing engine as well as support for 802.11ax and four-channel LPDDR5 memory.

As for the connectivity, the chipset will have Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X60 5G modem, its third-generation 5G solution after X50 and X55. However, these are based on the previous reports and Qualcomm has not yet confirmed this.

Before the SD875 SoC, Qualcomm is expected to launch the Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset. Several reports have started surfacing about this Plus variant chipset, which is said to be powered the ASUS ROG Phone 3 gaming smartphone as well as the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G. The chipset could go official in a month or two.

As for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 875 SoC, we expect it to follow the usual timeline and could be announced in December this year, and devices powered by the same chipset will be launched early next year.

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