14 DAY TRIAL // At an event in New Delhi today, Qualcomm announced the new 205 entry-level platform, designed to provide 4G LTE services and connectivity for budget smartphones in emerging markets, like Southeast Asia, India, and Latin America.
Qualcomm’s new 205 Mobile Platform incorporates the Qualcomm 205 SoC, which includes baseband functionalities, hardware components like RF front end and power management tools, among other things.
It has a speaker amplifier, WiFi connectivity and software to deliver a comprehensive mobile solution. Moreover, it’s designed for users who are unable to gain access to high-quality and reliable mobile devices.
The platform’s specs are quite low-end with a dual-core CPU clocked at 1.1GHz, an Adreno 304 graphics processing unit and the capability to support a 480p VGA display at 60 frames per second. The platform supports front and back cameras of just 3MP.
150Mbps download speeds on 4G networks
The highlight of Qualcomm’s new entry-level platform is its ability to deliver up to 150Mbps download speeds on 4G, 3G and 2G networks, while supporting two SIM cards.
"Qualcomm Technologies is committed to the migration of users and networks from 2G, 2.5G, and 3G to 4G. Feature phones are a lifeline in many emerging countries and the Qualcomm 205 Mobile Platform allows us to bring 4G connectivity and services to the masses with devices at price points never seen before," said Kedar Kondap, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies.
This is the first update that Qualcomm has brought to the 200 series since announcing the Snapdragon 212 platform back in July 2015. The 205 chip features the new "Mobile" brand, as Qualcomm has recently revealed that only its high-end platforms will bear the Snapdragon label.
The new 205 platform isn’t designed for mid or high-end phones, but it’s still a notable release, considering that it will bring higher mobile speeds and more connectivity options to users of entry-level phones in emerging markets.