Qualcomm has announced its latest mid-range chip, the Snapdragon 678 which will power devices that are more solidly in the price-conscious sector coming into 2021.

The chip follows the Qualcomm Snapdragon 675, which was announced in 2018, and brings with it a focus on connectivity speeds and battery life. The Snapdragon 678 is not an extensive upgrade, so it is expeced to also include camera performance, AI, and gaming among its other highlight functions. Notably, the 678 does not support 5G connectivity, which could indicate a devices using this chip may really see a price difference in comparison to other chips with similar specs, possibly for the lower.

Hardware components on the SoC include a Kryo 460 CPU with a 2.2GHz clockspeed and Andreno 612 GPU. The Snapdragon 678 retains the same Spectra 250L ISP and X12 LTE Modem seen on the 675, in addition to connecivity protocols, including WiFi 802.11n and Bluetooth 5.0. 

Many brands have used Qualcomm chips the Snapdragon 700 series to power more “affordable premium” devices in the last year or so. However, such devices as the Pixel 5, OnePlus Nord, and Xiaomi Mi Note 10 may still be costly for many consumers. This could indicate there is still a need for chips to power the true mid-range to low end market, while catching up on minor technological upgrades.

There is no word on which brands will utilize the Qualcomm Snapdragon 678 or when devices may release; however, there is a good chance the component will be used more internationally than in North American markets.