Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 might have a mid-range version; non-5G variant is reportedly ‘in the works’

Chipsets coming from Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 series have been known as the top choice to power flagship smartphones. However, a new report recently claimed that the latest installment, Snapdragon 888, might have a lite version, albeit with some limitations.

Qualcomm might launch a non-5G variant of Snapdragon 888

Qualcomm closed 2020 with the announcement of the Snapdragon 888. It was immediately anticipated as the processor for flagship phones to be launched in 2021, which already happened for the Xiaomi Mi 11 and Samsung Galaxy S21 in some regions.

However, the chipset maker is rumored to launch another mobile platform to be added in the 8 series. Renowned leaker Roland Quandt recently reported there is a “lower end” variant of the Snapdragon 888 with model number SM8325.

There were not many details included in the online post, but the lite version of Snapdragon 888 is expected to enter the market without a built-in 5G modem. It can be recalled that one of the criticisms in the Snapdragon 865 was the lack of an internal 5G modem. Qualcomm has since corrected that last year with the Snapdragon 888 sporting the Snapdragon X60 modem.

The report suggests that Qualcomm might be going back to the same strategy but with a different goal. The lite version of Snapdragon 888 is speculated to become an option for OEMs looking to release “cheap flagship phones.”

Is the Snapdragon 888 lite variant a good match for Huawei’s upcoming flagships?

Tech fans replying in the post are also considering the possibility that this lower-end variant of Snapdragon 888 -- without a 5G modem -- could help Huawei for their upcoming flagship devices. Huawei was slapped with a number of U.S. sanctions over the last couple of years, but the previous administration later allowed Qualcomm to sell 4G processors to the Chinese tech giant.

While Huawei was reportedly considering this possible partnership with Qualcomm as one of its options, it is still unknown if the smartphone maker will solely rely on 4G-enabled mobile platforms. It appears that the lite version of Snapdragon 888 will have the upgrades present in the standard model, just not the 5G-enabled Snapdragon X60 modem. Launching an LTE-only smartphone, billed as a flagship in 2021 could pose serious challenges in marketing the upcoming Huawei devices. All flagships released over the last year, including iPhone 12, have all been released with 5G networks.

Featured photo by Monoar Rahman Rony on Pixabay