Snapdragon 6s Gen 4: Powerful, Affordable, and Still a Little Confusing

The Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 is Qualcomm’s newest addition to its ever-growing (and increasingly confusing) lineup of mobile processors. If you thought you had a grasp on Qualcomm’s naming logic, think again.

The new chip sits in that tricky space between entry-level and true mid-range – designed for affordable phones that still want to feel fast and modern. And while the name might raise eyebrows, the chip itself brings notable gains where it matters most: performance, connectivity, and display support.

Built using Samsung’s 4nm process, the Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 features a combination of four performance cores clocked at up to 2.4GHz and four efficiency cores running at 1.8GHz. Qualcomm claims a 36% boost in CPU performance compared to the previous generation, the 6s Gen 3, and a striking 59% increase in GPU performance. That means smoother gameplay, faster app launches, and a generally more responsive phone experience – all while maintaining energy efficiency.

Beyond raw power, the chip brings impressive multimedia and connectivity features to devices that won’t break the bank. It supports Full HD+ displays with refresh rates up to 144Hz – something once reserved for gaming phones – and it’s ready for both mmWave and sub-6GHz 5G networks. The inclusion of Wi-Fi 6E ensures stronger and more stable connections, which will matter to anyone tired of buffering during video calls or lag in cloud gaming sessions.

On the camera side, the integrated Qualcomm Spectra ISP can handle up to 200MP single photo capture, or dual 16MP setups, with 2K video recording at 30fps. For mid-range phones, this opens up the potential for flagship-like photography, at least in terms of raw hardware support. Memory support has also been updated: the chip now works with up to 12GB of LPDDR5x RAM and UFS 3.1 storage – a configuration that could make even affordable devices feel impressively snappy.

One noticeable omission, however, is AI. Qualcomm didn’t mention any neural processing or AI acceleration for this chip. While its higher-end siblings – the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4, 7 Gen 4, and 7s Gen 4 – boast built-in AI capabilities for enhanced imaging, noise cancellation, and voice recognition, the 6s Gen 4 skips that entirely. That’s not shocking, though: phones in the $250–$350 range aren’t typically designed to push AI-driven features. Instead, Qualcomm seems focused on raw efficiency and affordability.

Still, the 6s Gen 4 represents meaningful progress for mainstream smartphones. The fact that budget phones now come with 144Hz displays, 200MP camera support, and Wi-Fi 6E is a clear sign that premium features are steadily trickling down. While enthusiasts will continue to chase the power of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, most users benefit more from chips like this – the quiet workhorses that bring solid performance to millions of everyday phones. In a way, these mid-range advances are the true heartbeat of mobile innovation.