Qualcomm in talks with OEMs for an affordable 5G-enabled phone by the end of 2024

Qualcomm has confirmed that it is in talks with various OEMs to launch a new 5G-enabled phone in India soon. This entry-level phone is announced to be launched by the end of this year.  

In a statement to Moneycontrol, Chris Patrick, SVP and General Manager of Handsets, Qualcomm, stated, “With the new chipset, we are looking to give a full 5G experience to consumers looking for affordable smartphones. The product is inspired by India… we're focusing pretty heavily on the transition between 4G and 5G. So, for us, it's how do we make sure that the transition is as frictionless as possible and that we have products really optimised for handset developers, telcos and end consumers.”

The Qualcomm official further encourages 2G users to switch to smartphones with 5G connectivity in India. He added that the India R&D teams are currently working hard on developing the chipset. He said, “Our local team leads almost most of our global products, especially teams in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The scale we have in the handset business is massive."

As per the report, the company executive has confirmed that the gigabit 5G smartphone device will support the 5G standalone architecture, which Jio is currently offering. The gigabit 5G smartphone will be powered by a dedicated low-cost customised processor using SA-2Rx capability, capable of gigabit speeds on a 5G network.

Savi Soin, President, Qualcomm India told Moneycontrol, “…ecosystem partners, from Jio to OEMs, are important for us to bring a successful 5G device to a new price tier, which India hasn't seen yet.” He added, “I am looking for developers with apps on the phone and drive use cases that people need."

This conversation took place at the MWC 2024 event that is currently taking place in Barcelona, Spain and will come to an end on February 29.

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