Smartphone refresh cycles are primarily driven by the availability of new components in the market. The single most important component that dictates this is the chipset. A leaked document suggests what the key chipset makers have in the pipeline for the next year.
The deck was shared by @MobileChipExpert on Weibo and is apparently from a survey conducted by an investment bank. It needs to be noted that while platforms may be months away from their market debut, their preliminary information is shared with OEMs well in advance to have product development going on in tandem.
The image shows approximate timelines for when the next generation of chipsets from Qualcomm and MediaTek are expected to be unveiled. The row at the top is for flagship chipsets, followed by mid-rangers and entry-level processors at the bottom.
- Preliminary Snapdragon 875 specs suggest much-needed improvements to 5G
- Upcoming smartphones in India for 2020
- MediaTek Dimensity 600: Specifications, launch date and everything we know
Upcoming Snapdragon chipsets
From Qualcomm’s camp (bottom half of the chart), we have the SDM6835 chipset expected to be unveiled in Q3 of this year. It will be fabricated on the 7nm EUV and will be 5G-capable (demarcated by the dark blue colour). In practice, it should be close to the recently-announced Snapdragon 690 chipset.
Towards the end of the year, we can expect the Snapdragon 662 and Snapdragon 460 to be announced as LTE chipsets for affordable smartphones. Interestingly, the next flagship chipset, the Snapdragon 875 will not go official in December but in Q1 of 2021. It aligns with previous reports of being a 5nm chipset manufactured by Samsung.
Around the same time, an entry-level 5G chipset called the Snapdragon 435G will be unveiled. It is likely to be the most affordable 5G-capable chipset from Qualcomm. It will be followed by the Snapdragon 735G, which will also be a high-end 5nm 5G SoC.
Upcoming MediaTek Dimensit chipsets
MediaTek’s product roadmap is a lot simpler. In the third quarter of 2020, the Dimensity 600 chipset will be unveiled. We’re already hearing rumours of this chipset to be made official in the near future in China. As with others in the family, it will be 5G-capable, and will also be the most affordable 5G chipset from the Taiwanese company.
However, it will not get to hold that title for long, as the leak suggests that the Dimensity 400 will be announced towards the end of this year. Not only will it be 5G-capable, but is also listed as a 6nm chipset, which is a little surprising.
MediaTek’s next flagship chipset, rumoured to be the Dimensity 2000, will be made official towards the end of Q2 of 2021. It will make the jump to a 5nm node, along with improvements in performance and 5G.
Some of these products and timelines could change closer to their purported launch dates. Regardless, it gives a fair idea of what's cooking in the semiconductor space.
