Qualcomm Snapdragon 690: The First 600-Series 5G Chipset

Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon 690 in June 2020 as its first processor in the Snapdragon 600 series to support 5G connectivity. The chipset was designed to bring 5G capabilities to more affordable smartphones, extending the next-generation mobile network beyond premium and upper-midrange devices.

At the time of its launch, Qualcomm positioned the Snapdragon 690 as a platform aimed at making 5G smartphones more accessible. It combined 5G connectivity with improvements in performance, artificial intelligence, photography, gaming, and display support.

Snapdragon 690 at a Glance

The Snapdragon 690 is built around Qualcomm’s 8nm manufacturing process and uses an octa-core CPU configuration. Its architecture consists of two high-performance Cortex-A77 cores and six Cortex-A55 efficiency cores.

First Snapdragon 600-Series Chip With 5G

One of the Snapdragon 690’s most notable characteristics was its position within Qualcomm’s product lineup.

Before the Snapdragon 690, 5G support was primarily associated with Qualcomm’s higher-tier Snapdragon platforms. The Snapdragon 600 series, meanwhile, was widely used in affordable and midrange smartphones.

The Snapdragon 690 changed that by introducing 5G connectivity to the Snapdragon 600 series.

The chipset supports 5G through Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X51 5G Modem-RF System. It was designed for sub-6 GHz 5G networks, allowing compatible phones to connect to a growing number of 5G networks around the world.

This made the Snapdragon 690 particularly relevant for manufacturers looking to build more affordable 5G devices.

Snapdragon X51 5G Modem

The Snapdragon 690 integrates Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X51 5G modem system.

Unlike some higher-end 5G platforms of the same era, the Snapdragon 690 focused on sub-6 GHz 5G rather than mmWave. Sub-6 GHz networks generally offer broader coverage and were expected to play a major role in the expansion of 5G.

The modem also supports 4G LTE, allowing smartphones to fall back to existing networks where 5G coverage is unavailable.

Qualcomm designed the platform to support:

• 5G sub-6 GHz connectivity
• 4G LTE
• Dynamic Spectrum Sharing
• SA and NSA 5G network architectures
• Multi-SIM capabilities
• 5G global roaming support

The exact network capabilities of a finished smartphone still depended on the manufacturer’s implementation and the markets in which the device was sold.

CPU Performance

The Snapdragon 690 uses an octa-core CPU consisting of:

• 2x ARM Cortex-A77 performance cores
• 6x ARM Cortex-A55 efficiency cores

The Cortex-A77 represented a significant architectural step forward from the Cortex-A76-based CPUs found in some earlier midrange Qualcomm platforms.

The two performance cores handle demanding workloads such as gaming, application processing, image processing, and multitasking. The six efficiency cores are designed for lighter workloads while helping reduce power consumption.

Qualcomm claimed the Snapdragon 690 could deliver up to 20% higher CPU performance compared with the Snapdragon 675.

That improvement was significant for a Snapdragon 600-series platform because it allowed midrange phones to handle increasingly demanding applications without moving into Qualcomm’s more expensive Snapdragon tiers.

Adreno 619L GPU

Graphics processing is handled by Qualcomm’s Adreno 619L GPU.

The GPU was designed to provide improved graphics performance for gaming and other GPU-intensive applications.

Qualcomm said the Snapdragon 690 could deliver up to 60% faster graphics rendering compared with the Snapdragon 675.

The platform also incorporated features intended to improve gaming performance, including support for Qualcomm’s gaming technologies.

As with other smartphone chipsets, actual gaming performance depends on factors such as the phone’s thermal design, RAM, display resolution, software optimization, and game settings.

Display Support

The Snapdragon 690 was designed for smartphones with modern high-refresh-rate displays.

It supports displays with resolutions up to Full HD+ and refresh rates of up to 120Hz.

A 120Hz display can provide smoother scrolling and animations than traditional 60Hz panels. For compatible games, a higher refresh rate can also make motion appear smoother.

This combination of 5G and high-refresh-rate display support helped manufacturers build phones that offered several features previously associated with more expensive smartphones.

Camera Capabilities

Photography was another major area of improvement.

The Snapdragon 690 includes Qualcomm’s image signal processing capabilities and supports camera configurations capable of handling sensors up to 192 megapixels, depending on the implementation.

The platform supports features such as:

• Multi-camera photography
• Computational photography
• HDR photography
• Noise reduction
• Electronic image stabilization
• AI-assisted camera features

However, a chipset’s maximum supported camera resolution should not be confused with the actual camera quality of a smartphone.

Image quality also depends heavily on the camera sensor, lens, image-processing software, stabilization system, and manufacturer’s tuning.

4K HDR Video Recording

The Snapdragon 690 also supports 4K video recording and HDR video capabilities.

This gave midrange smartphones access to video features that had previously been more common in higher-end devices.

The chipset’s video capabilities can include:

• 4K video capture
• HDR video
• Slow-motion video
• Electronic image stabilization
• Advanced image processing

Again, manufacturers can choose which capabilities to enable in an individual smartphone.

Artificial Intelligence

Qualcomm equipped the Snapdragon 690 with its 5th-generation Qualcomm AI Engine.

The platform incorporates the Qualcomm Hexagon Tensor Accelerator, which helps accelerate machine-learning workloads.

AI processing can be used for several smartphone functions, including:

• Camera scene recognition
• Portrait effects
• Image enhancement
• Voice processing
• Intelligent battery management
• Object recognition
• Computational photography

By bringing these capabilities to the Snapdragon 600 series, Qualcomm was also making AI-powered smartphone features more accessible to lower-cost devices.

Connectivity Beyond 5G

Although 5G was the headline feature, the Snapdragon 690 also includes several other connectivity technologies.

The platform supports Wi-Fi 6-ready connectivity, providing improved wireless networking capabilities compared with older Wi-Fi standards.

It also supports Bluetooth 5.1, giving compatible devices improved wireless connectivity for accessories such as headphones, speakers, smartwatches, and other peripherals.

The chipset supports both cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity technologies, allowing smartphone manufacturers to build devices suited to increasingly connected mobile environments.

Power Efficiency

The Snapdragon 690 was manufactured using an 8nm process.

Smaller semiconductor manufacturing processes can provide advantages in power efficiency and transistor density, although real-world battery life depends on the entire smartphone design.

Factors such as:

• Display size and refresh rate
• Battery capacity
• Network signal strength
• 5G usage
• Camera use
• Gaming
• Software optimization

can have a substantial impact on battery life.

The Snapdragon 690 was nevertheless designed to balance performance and power consumption for midrange smartphones.

Why the Snapdragon 690 Was Important

The importance of the Snapdragon 690 was not simply its raw performance.

Its significance came from bringing 5G connectivity into Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 600 series.

In 2020, smartphone manufacturers were increasingly introducing 5G models, but the technology was initially concentrated in more expensive devices.

The Snapdragon 690 provided manufacturers with another option for developing lower-cost 5G smartphones.

This helped expand the range of devices capable of connecting to 5G networks and contributed to the broader transition from 4G to 5G smartphones.

Snapdragon 690 vs. Snapdragon 675

The Snapdragon 690 represented a major generational change compared with the Snapdragon 675.

The Snapdragon 690 therefore represented more than an incremental update. It introduced a newer CPU architecture, a newer GPU, a smaller manufacturing process, improved AI capabilities, and—most importantly—5G connectivity.

Smartphones Powered by Snapdragon 690

The Snapdragon 690 appeared in a number of midrange smartphones released during the early 5G adoption period.

One notable example was the OnePlus Nord N10 5G, which used the Snapdragon 690 as its main processor.

The chipset was also used by manufacturers looking to introduce 5G smartphones without relying on Qualcomm’s more expensive Snapdragon 700 or 800-series platforms.

Limitations of the Snapdragon 690

Despite its capabilities, the Snapdragon 690 was not intended to compete directly with Qualcomm’s flagship processors.

Its main limitations included its positioning as a midrange platform and its support for sub-6 GHz 5G rather than mmWave 5G.

Its GPU and CPU performance were also below Qualcomm’s higher-end Snapdragon 700 and 800-series processors.

For users who wanted maximum gaming performance, advanced camera processing, or flagship-level connectivity, higher-tier Snapdragon platforms offered more capable hardware.

The Snapdragon 690 instead focused on balancing performance, features, connectivity, and device cost.

Snapdragon 690 and the Expansion of Affordable 5G

The arrival of the Snapdragon 690 reflected a broader change in the smartphone industry.

5G was gradually moving from being a premium feature to becoming a standard capability across more price categories.

By introducing 5G into the Snapdragon 600 family, Qualcomm gave smartphone manufacturers a platform that could combine:

• 5G connectivity
• Modern CPU architecture
• High-refresh-rate displays
• Improved camera processing
• 4K HDR video
• AI acceleration
• Wi-Fi 6-ready connectivity

This combination made the Snapdragon 690 an important milestone in the development of more affordable 5G smartphones.

Conclusion

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 marked an important step in the expansion of 5G smartphones. Introduced in 2020, it became the first Snapdragon 600-series chipset with integrated 5G support, bringing next-generation cellular connectivity to a segment of smartphones that had traditionally focused on affordability.

Beyond 5G, the Snapdragon 690 offered a newer CPU architecture, Adreno 619L graphics, support for 120Hz Full HD+ displays, advanced camera capabilities, 4K HDR video, and improved AI processing.

While it did not deliver the performance of Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon processors, its purpose was different. The Snapdragon 690 was designed to help manufacturers bring a broader range of 5G smartphones to consumers, making it an important platform in the early transition from 4G to 5G.