Qualcomm’s new mid-range chipset adds Wi-Fi 7, improving gaming for budget phones


Chipmaker Qualcomm has launched two new processors dedicated to Low cost phones Thursday, adding support for the faster Wi-Fi 7 standard along with higher screen refresh rates. This announcement is especially notable as the cost of electronics continues to rise amid the crisis Lack of global RAMfocusing more on what phone buyers can still get at value-focused prices.

The Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 is the higher-end of the two, and will be the first in its series to include Wi-Fi 7 support. The newer wireless internet standard generally supports faster speeds and improved multitasking for networks running the newer standard wifi router 7.

Plus faster speeds, notes CNET senior writer Joe Subban Its Wi-Fi 7 analysis The prices of these routers have also come down, making them easier to recommend when setting up a home Internet network (minus the separate concerns about… The recent US ban on foreign-made routers). It also includes the new processor Support Bluetooth 6.0which will improve pairing speed when connecting other devices and audio latency.

Moto G Stylus-2026-1

Motorola’s $500 Moto G Stylus runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor. The new Gen 5 version of the processor can power similar phones.

Joseph Maldonado/CNET

Meanwhile, the Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 adds a number of features that could improve gaming on lower-spec phones, such as support for 144Hz and 90fps refresh rates. Both are among the features I’ve seen The gaming phones I testedAnd if something costs around $300 to support them, that would be a big boost for phones in this price range.

To put it in another context, the new $499 2026 Moto G Stylus It runs on the previous Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 processor, instead HMD Fusion From 2024 it runs on Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 and sells for €249 (about $300). There are no guarantees about when we will see devices equipped with these Gen 5 processors, as there is great competition between companies that manufacture this component for low-cost phones.

Mediatek competes directly with Qualcomm with its Dimensity chipset: the Dimensity 6300 powers 2026 Moto G PowerFor example. Google and Samsung also have in-house processors in their sub-$500 devices, at $499 Pixel 10a It runs on Google’s Tensor G4 and Galaxy A37 for $450 It runs on Samsung Exynos 1680.

Watch this: Moto G Stylus (2026) unboxing: Everything that comes with the $499 phone



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