Published in PC Hardware

Cheap 4G SoCs are the new normal

by on22 September 2014



$8-9 a pop

Just two product generations ago, 4G/LTE connectivity was reserved for high-end and mid-range phones.

The landscape started to shift this year, with the advent of cheaper 4G SoCs, courtesy of MediaTek and Qualcomm. According to Digitimes, entry level 4G solutions currently sell for $8-9 per unit, but the price could go down to just $6-7 in the first half of 2015.

Industry sources claim the Snapdragon 210 is selling for $9, making it Qualcomm’s cheapest 4G capable SoC so far. MediaTek, Marvell and Broadcom are selling 32-bit quad-core chips with 4G connectivity for $8-9 per unit.

Mid-range 4G parts cost a bit more, with prices ranging from $15-20 for Qualcomm and MediaTek octa-cores, or $12-15 for quad-core parts. 

Lower prices are bound to increase adoption, but lack of good 4G coverage in many markets remains an issue. High prices of 4G data plans are another problem in emerging markets.

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