Qualcomm has announced a new 5G chip, the Snapdragon 690, as the first in its 600 series to feature next-generation connectivity. The semiconductor brand has introduced this chip in efforts to continue to expand 5G availabilities across all smartphone tiers and price points.

Having already announced 5G chips for its 800 series and 700 series, a 600 series update was the next logical step as 2020 was already set to be the year of drastic decreases in price for 5G products. Devices running the Snapdragon 690 chip are expected to hit the market during the second half of 2020. Manufacturers, including HMD Global, LG Electronics, Motorola, SHARP, TCL, and Wingtech are all among brands set to announce devices with this component.

Feature highlights on these devices will include 4K HDR support, 120hz displays, cloud-based, multi-player gaming, and various AI support for improvements in camera and video, and voice, as well as the gigabit speeds that are the staple of 5G.

“With the anticipated frantic pace of plunging 5G smartphone prices in 2020, driven by the availability of cheaper components and pricing policies of chipset vendors, consumers will be eager to embrace these new 5G mobile experiences, ABI Research Research Director, David McQueen said in a statement.

While price details are not yet available, we can potentially see the chip support products starting $200-$300 range as we have seen smartphones with 700 series chips with prices between EUR350 and EUR600. Overall, cost-effective 5G smartphones really have an opportunity to stand out as a favorable option, especially since a lot of what consumers have seen of 5G before 2020 has been of a super premium proposition.

“The vendors that are better equipped to adjust their portfolios to target the 5G low- and mid-priced sectors, as well as the price-competitive and fast-growing emerging markets, will carve out viable revenues and profit margins,” McQueen said.